hi guys i have a straight question about employees how much money do you think is a fair wage?
i won't say what i pay my staff but no matter were your from ican do the conversion
be honest guys

If you don't mind, what is your business?

Pay them what you feel would be proper wage if you were doing that job.










Whatever that means.

Whatever you can afford to run your buis. on.

Fair pay is the same as a fair price. You pay what you need to pay to get and retain employees that have the skills required for the job. A bit extra can help keep them happy and good morale leads to more productive employees.

If you pay less, you will not be able to get or keep the employees. If you pay too much it siphons off what could be profit.

Honestly, it's nearly impossible to answer your question - gentle smile.

So much would depend on the type of job description they are doing, skilled/unskilled, work ethics, etc.

(While I'm a firm believer in unions for many reasons, I'm also the first to 'blast' them for ensuring even rotten employees are paid the same as good employees, etc - would rather have everyone who is working in the same catagory have financial incentives added for superior work, etc).

Just a thought but salary.com offers the local rates of what a job is worth.

If you want to boost morale, just give them a longer (more impressive sounding) title. There was a study performed that showed a direct correlation between job satisfaction and impressive job title! Employees were questionned and, even though they made the same amount of $$, after they had the new title they were happier in their job.

Don't know if that helps....

As for your question, you have to factor cost of living, nature of the work (hazardous?), and what level of training one must have to perform the job. Then you have to stratify the pay grades in order to allow for people to move up without breaking your bank.

If you want happy employees there is one thing that makes an employee happy benefits.

Lets take for example a company i know very well(that wonders why they cant find workers and the ones they have are unhappy):

1)High Insurance with a high deductible ($25 per week single, $125 for family of 2 or 3)(deductible is roughly 350 per preson per plan ie denal health and eye)
2)A laughable 401k ($0.25 for every dollar up to 10% and reinvested in the company)
3)Lowest Pay in the area

Not very good huh?

easy ways to make an employee happy
1) underwrite a good amount of the health care plan (lowers emploee cost and deductible and provides you with a healthy tax write off at the end of the year )also Short term Disability (Aflac) is a good idea
2) a good 401k will match dollar for dollar up to almost 25% of the employees pay and not reinvest in the company but rather provide a service through a reputable stock and bond company (always take out before taxes)
3) Pay at or close to the average salary for the area but pay them for the work they do

Ive been alot of places and most companies that hire and retain good workers have a setup very similar to this

sorry guys forgot i strted this thread to answer everyone,s questions i run a ceramic tiling buisness
i have 3 permanent staff and up to 20 subcontractors at a time my permanent staff have 4 weeks paid holiday a year and as bandg said i give them bigger titles my brother is now contract manager and he seems very happy 95% of my staff are skilled the other 5% semi skilled or apprentices compared to other companies i pay more but the staff still complain most other companies lay staff off regurlaly but i try to keep them all in work when possible(hence grey hair and only 33) anyhow hope that answers your questions thanks for your replies

Sounds like they're unappreciate of their job, if they're complaining even though they're getting better pay than other companies would give them. Maybe remind them of this? In a nice way of course.

Ask anyone that works and they'll say that their underpaid. Very few are actually correct in that statement though. If it were me, I'd tell them that they're making more money then they would make at your biggest rival's company, but they're more than welcome to go work for them doing the same thing they're doing now for less money......then remind them that they need their job more than their job needs them

Oh, and for the record...yes, I am underpaid for my job

mz30, in the UK, you don't have to worry about paying health benefits? Or is it jointly funded by employers/workers and the state?

Because as Spyder pointed out, in the US, a good wage...even a "competitive" wage...can sometimes not be enough if the health benefits paid by an employer are too low.

And health care costs just keep going up. Wages are not climbing to match.

I'd say that there are plenty of jobs out there that are underpaid. But then, I define a "low paying job" as one you couldn't make it on. And like I say, there are plenty of those. When the Bushies try to boast of job creation, minimum wage jobs pad the numbers but they are hardly going to support families.

I heard somewhere that Dick Cheney is quoted as saying, "8 dollars an hour is a livable wage." Perhaps...if you pay low rent, don't own a car, never own a house, don't ever get sick, don't have children, and plan work until you die. But that doesn't sound like sort of job that should be wide-spread in a developed western nation.

Of course, most everyone wants to make more money. So it's easy for those who are getting paid reasonably well to feel like they ought to get more.

I am currently working on my BS in computer science. I am headed for possible jobs in a field I have great interest that pay well. That's right...a job I actually want to do that actually pays well. Based on my working experience thus far, I can't quite convince myself that such a job exists! But then, perhaps I am a bit jaded...




Mwah!

America has turned into a completely Service Economy. I am sure this is not a new statement to many. Accordingly, the buying power of our dollar is diminished because we provide very little product for other nations to invest in. Our economy is floated on oil (no pun intended). Our manufacturing infrastructure has been gutted, which necessitates outsourcing. I mean outsourcing not only in a service context, but also as it relates to where we get our goods.

If a nation, such as we, creates little of value to other economies, then our economy is weakened. This is why (IMO) wages continue to be stagnant. Very few are willing to pay $9 for a cup of coffee, $6 for a dry-cleaned shirt, and $35 for an Applebee's meal for one. Thus, the workers providing these services cannot recieve large wage increases across the board; where would the money come from? Combine this with the fact that many CEO's and Board Members of numerous companies are making an increasingly disproportionate amount of money relative to the worker; and we see a clear recipe for disaster.

Our pay structure is quickly becoming extremely top-heavy! A CEO would rather make $56 million a year than $46 million while providing decent wage + benefits to his/her employess. Maybe I have lived broke for too long, but I could make that money for one year and retire. You cannot support a marble table top with toothpicks, even multitudes of toothpicks will break after time.

There is also a counter-side to this. Many people are foolish with their money. They choose not to pay themselves first, and as a result over-extend their finances. The system is flawed, but since when has it not been?? We must all try to be as efficient as we can with the $$ we make.

I wonder mz30, are there any sort of pre-tax funds available in your country? Here we have the 401k and IRA's (Individual Retirement Account), which allow us to invest before taxes are withdrawn. This may be another way for you to increase morale from your workers without having to eat the cost of a substantial wage increase.

Thanks for letting me rant.

Yours Truly,
bg04

I am in agreement with blueandgold. The reason employers do not "invest" in employees now is very simple. They are all replaceable. And its true. We have become overpopulated with workers that have no skill set and will work for next to nothing just so they can stay on welfare. I thought when I went to a technical school and got certified that it would help me get a descent job where I could stay. I was wrong. Those skilled jobs are also overpopulated with workers who ware trying to do everything in their power to just get a job.

Heres a little quote from my current boss If that doesn't describe the state America is in right now I dont know what does.

BTW Im also underpaid (and I mean it) I can make more money in 6 months under the table then I have ever made yearly at a job (I just have to pace myself so Bushy Boy's Goons dont find out)

And for a good note the average American working Joe (ie not including CEO's) will make about 30k this year the same as when gas was 1.50 a gallon

I don't really have an opinion on what a fair wage is, but my sister thinks the minimum wage should be $21 (or something close to that). I don't know how realistic that would be.