Say you owned a business.

[onfire]

let say you could hire 10 thousand people either making wigets or picking crops. A major corporation in a sense. You offer above a living wage to start. The first 5 thousand people say good. but the second group says we'll work for half that. who would you hire?
is it considered GREED to accept the second group. With your profits going thru the roof make you a bad corporation?

 

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[DizzyDigger]

The "living wage" would have been factored into all business plans, etc., so
the company can already show a net gain if reasonable production and sales
goals are achieved.

With that in mind, I would hire the most qualified, stable and capable of the entire
10,000, and they would get paid the wage the company set prior to their hiring.

In any large business with 5000+ skilled workers in addition to management and
sales, there is bound to be a higher level of turnover in the manufacturing side. I would
save the applications of the remaining applicants, encourage them to gain more knowledge
about the skills needed for the position they wish to fill, and then call on them again when an
entry level position they are qualified for becomes available.

Paying half of a living wage means employees can not support their families sufficiently
on a 40 hr. work week, they must live in low-cost housing and consume lower cost,
generally less nutritious foods just so they can get by. This situation does not make for a
stable, long-term employee and the company will suffer at all levels as a result.

FWIW, That's what I would do.

 

[davest]

here's a novel idea; Watch the movie "the high cost of low wages" about the walmart owners that have billions of dollars for their own bank accounts but pay their workers low wages, with low hours, causing them to collect food stamps and Medicaid.

Then you might want to google "Alice Walton, dui" for an eye opener.

As an answer to your question, I would not hire someone that would work for half of what another worker would work for. Remember the old adage? There is no such thing as cheap, fast, and good.

 

[jeff of pa]

let say you could hire 10 thousand people either making wigets or picking crops. A major corporation in a sense. You offer above a living wage to start. The first 5 thousand people say good. but the second group says we'll work for half that. who would you hire?
is it considered GREED to accept the second group. With your profits going thru the roof make you a bad corporation?

I'd the second group, while looking to either get a 3rd. group from Mexico to do it for even less,
Or Outsource to China

Money Money Money



seriously though, The less a corporation needs to put out,
the lower the product can sell for.

the more people who can afford the product,
and The more profit potential in the long run.

and in the case of food or other necessary products,
it proves you care by supplying things at fair prices,
without greed.

Think in terms of if Oil were $5.00 a Barrel & gasoline 10 cents a Gallon
people could live as if it were 1949

When I got my first real Job in 1973, I was earning a Whopping $3.50 an Hour I was Rich

 

[GMD52]

own my own business, and purposely do all the work myself. I have no desire to hire anyone, then the state and the feds get involved. My last quote for workmans comp to hire one person, a laborer, was $17,500 prem to start.....That's money out of my pocket, and in order to just break even on jobs, Meet the unemployment payments to the state, match SS,(7.5% of employees pay), ins , workmans comp, and other taxes......In order to pay $15 / hr. I would have to charge approx. $ 40/ hr! That's more than I charge for myself, and due to having an employee, my rate would also have to go up. You won't see any hiring by me , and I may retire to rid myself of the constant red tape.

 

[onfire]

here's a novel idea; Watch the movie "the high cost of low wages" about the walmart owners that have billions of dollars for their own bank accounts but pay their workers low wages, with low hours, causing them to collect food stamps and Medicaid.

Then you might want to google "Alice Walton, dui" for an eye opener.

As an answer to your question, I would not hire someone that would work for half of what another worker would work for. Remember the old adage? There is no such thing as cheap, fast, and good.

OK Dave As I posted a while back on quotes on a new roof. !st one 38 thousand 2nd 23 thousand, 18500 15300 9000 8500 form the the last 3
This is a quote on tear off and replace all toll 5300 in all materials for 38 sq. all said 2 days work. Who should I hire The last 4 I saw their previous work (No complaints)

 

[davest]

Onfire, a person can charge whatever they want. If they get the job, fine, if they don't, oh well on to the next. I know a lot of guys that charge more because they get run around by people shopping estimate after estimate.

You can hire whoever you want, just point out your gun rack in the garage and tell them it better be a great cleanup.

Would you scan all the proposals so we can compare apples to pineapples or are these word of mouth?

Question to GMD52. Have you ever wondered how those other companies stay in business having to charge all that for their services and you don't??

 

[GMD52]

Yeah Dave, I have. And that is what makes the competitive free market work. There are all niches in which a business can fit, and I have found mind, and explained why. On that note, if business weren't so over regulated, consumers would get better prices. My customers and clients get excellent, personal service at a good rate, and have the work I want.......and I;m sure that other businesses feel the same way.........Just remember you get what you pay for.

 

[onfire]

Onfire, a person can charge whatever they want. If they get the job, fine, if they don't, oh well on to the next. I know a lot of guys that charge more because they get run around by people shopping estimate after estimate.

You can hire whoever you want, just point out your gun rack in the garage and tell them it better be a great cleanup.

Would you scan all the proposals so we can compare apples to pineapples or are these word of mouth?

Question to GMD52. Have you ever wondered how those other companies stay in business having to charge all that for their services and you don't??

Nice defensive move dave. Your right I can hire who ever. That was not the jist of the question It was your statement I was looking a answer to.
As your question to if those figures are real I take it you have no idea about how a roof is installed.
The statement about the gun I used as a joke to the guy after he told me He would give me a 50 year guarantee. About as dumb as your question to GMD.
You don't believe in shopping for a Estimate?

 

[davest]

oh, I have an idea of how a roof is installed, how siding is installed, how a house is layed out from a blank piece of land, how a septic system works and what percolation means, how hvac works, and a few other things I picked up over the years. Even did some of it over the years and none of it has fallen down yet.

I hate to tell you this, but you should go back and review your first statement about what you said the guy said. But hey, who am I to point out things like that, right?

BTW, I've seen shoppers and time wasters, do you do the same thing with the cars you buy? Or does it cost too much to travel dealer to dealer? You'd rather they bring their time to you, right?

GMD, what I meant was, it's amazing what some people can charge and get for the same product you might provide. Heck, some of them even have television ads, and half page newspaper spreads, some even have 50 or 100 employees and seem to get all the work they can handle at 50 dollars an hour and more. They couldn't be staying in business if they weren't providing a service that some people want to pay for, and they are doing it well. I wasn't arguing with you, just asking an honest question.

 

[GMD52]

Dave,

An d I think that some people don't think that they are getting a good job unless it's expensive. I have seen that thought process many times, the old adage of," you don't get enough, if you don't pay enough", certainly does apply, and I didn't think you were being negative, and didn't take offense, just my direct way of responding. That's why I'm a strong believer in the free market system, and the freedom toproduce a product or provide a service that satisfys the paying reciprient. I find in my field, and the service I provide my clients get more for less, but I also know of competing consulting firms that have many employee,s vastly more modern equipment, and get lost in the woods, but give a computer printout to the client, that they can't understand, and then they disappear. Two of my longest, and best clients came to me this way, and I have been able to keep them through personal attention, and service.......and they have over the years paid me more than their previous firm.....But have made it back in tax savings, and timber sale revenues. There is a place for everyone in a competitive economy....the good survive and prosper, and the weak fail, and disappear. That's the way it should be.

 

[diggummup]

own my own business, and purposely do all the work myself. I have no desire to hire anyone, then the state and the feds get involved. My last quote for workmans comp to hire one person, a laborer, was $17,500 prem to start.....That's money out of my pocket, and in order to just break even on jobs, Meet the unemployment payments to the state, match SS,(7.5% of employees pay), ins , workmans comp, and other taxes......In order to pay $15 / hr. I would have to charge approx. $ 40/ hr! That's more than I charge for myself, and due to having an employee, my rate would also have to go up. You won't see any hiring by me , and I may retire to rid myself of the constant red tape.

Yup, not to mention once you have a Worker's Comp policy, you can expect to be audited almost every year. That's why I hire on my help as independent contractors give out 1099's and have a Workers Comp exemption certificate for myself too.

As for the what if scenario posted by the OP, the answer is yes you are a bad corporation if your making (and pocketing) record profits while half your employees are on food stamps because they are working for half of what some of the others are working for while performing the same job. My (fictitious) very large corporation would pay the same rate for the same job regardless. Also it would be employee owned with profit sharing and bonuses for all full time employees. It's called incentive.

 

[davest]

you got that right GMD. There's nothing better than having someone say, "You did nice work for so & so, I'd like you to do the same for me". Too many of the new firms and companies have forgotten or not learned that return phone calls and free service work are worth their weight in platinum, or they picture short term profit over eating every day for the next 50 years.

Psst, onfire. Back in the early 70s I was doing slate repairs on 12/12s in Pennsylvania, copper flashings and gutters too. If you want to see something about roof installation, you should check out the tile roofs where Crispin lives. They nail tile over battens, no felt paper, no plywood decking......almost like putting shakes on in the 50s.