Payday

I'd like to start this off with an apology for posting later than usual. I was originally planning to do a rather lengthy post today about something different, but then something else came up instead. If I've learned one thing while pursuing my graduate degree, it's that you need to rearrange you plans when "teaching moments" present yourself, and it appears one fell out of the sky for me.

It's Friday, which is a popular day for one to receive their paycheck. However, today was a frustrating day that resulted in some disappointment for my wife. She just finished her second week at a job that she earned because she was blunt and honest at her interview and the interviewer absolutely had to hire her (it says volumes when you tell an interviewee to come back in less than two hours because you want them to meet your business partner, then offer the job on the spot). It's a part time position for a very small company, but it's something, nonetheless. After being told that paychecks were given every two weeks, she inquired as to whether she would be paid today or next week. Her boss, the person who hired her, told her she had not yet been put into the payroll system, and after much back-and-forth, offered that her first week's pay be withheld as some form of "security deposit" that would be given to her whenever she left the company. After more back-and-forth, she was paid for the past two weeks. However, the experience made her feel that she was not trusted in an office of five people (including herself), and left her with the feeling that she could not trust her boss.

I could write much more on what was wrong in the above scenario (and the respect issues that go along with it), but the teaching moment here is about compensation for time worked. This isn't the first position that my wife has accepted in recent months where her employer has made some arrangement to get free labor. In fact, another acquaintance who worked for a major clothing retailer was also threatened to not be paid for the time he spent working in the position. That is disturbing, for so many employers to threaten not give an employee their appropriate compensation. Let's set the record straight for all employers up-front: "Time worked is time paid." To believe otherwise is wrong on so many levels, and no employee should ever have to take it. At the risk of sounding preachy, shame on any employer that will not pay its staff for any reason.

I understand that in some small businesses, payroll comes last in the hierarchy of payments: rent, taxes, and utilities are pretty important. However, in keeping with the idea of leadership, the workers need to be paid before their superiors. The reason being that the workers survive on the meager pay they are given, while those on the higher end of the pay spectrum can sustain themselves longer with their earnings. What is the higher priority: feeding one's family, or detailing the vintage sports car? (A)

For employees, the best way to be protected is to make sure that documents are properly signed and filed. Personally, I think it should be mandatory for all employees to be present when their supervisor enter their information into the computer database, as it ensures the information is accurately put in and that it actually gets entered. There are laws to protect employees from being scammed, and those should be researched based on the local jurisdiction.

To all employers, this is a warning sign. Just as a bad employee can make a single company look bad, a bad company can make others look bad as well. Without trust from employees, running a business will be much harder. Just because the economy is bad and people are desperate, it is not an opportunity for exploitation.

As a final thought, there are many (in my experience, they are predominantly the younger generations) who hold the mindset that bigger business are ruining the world. Likewise, I ask those individuals to consider that the smaller businesses are not without fault as well. "Corporate lackey" can also mean "properly compensated" in today's society.