Minimum wage is a social issue that affects most middle and lower income groups in United States. The government has addressed the issue by setting the minimum amount that every employer has to adhere to when compensating workers. However, most of these laws remain written on paper and are never implemented by most employers. Employees on the other hand continue being exploited by being made to work more for little. The main reason for this is because they lack the ability to negotiate with their employers who mostly give them the option of taking up the job or leaving it for somebody else who would be willing to work for such an amount. Secondly, most employees are not acquainted with the laws that protect their minimum wage and even if they know them, they do not know the procedure that needs to be taken to have their issues sorted.
With all this issues, we realized that the problem will be solved if an employer is made to understand and empathize with the needs of the employee. In this proposal, the issue will be addressed to the employers who are the main defaulters of the minimum wage requirement. At the end of the proposal, we seek to convince employers that adhering to the requirement will enhance good working relationships with their employees and motivate them to perform better. Subsequently, the economy will grow as everyone enjoys the benefits of working hard and treating each other with fairness.
The minimum wage as set by the government was settled at after thorough consideration. The choice was done after comparing the needs of the average American citizen as well as their hourly output. It was considered that if each person concentrates on their work, they are able to deliver certain quality of work, which is above the minimum wage set to ensure that the employer also benefits (Meyer & David 76). Most employers who default the minimum wage requirement complain of their employees not delivering enough during the hour that has been set. In as much as this could be true, it is simply because the employees are less motivated and hence not putting their all in the work assigned. A persons; mind will always set to perform a particular task after considering the overall gain thereof. Once a person knows that whet they will receive at the end of the day is worth a particular amount of work, they will only perform as required. Such underperformance is prompted by the facts that most workers have to save some energy for extra assignments that will supplement the deficit.
It is common for an average an American citizen to engage in more than one employment to sustain themselves due to employees who default the minimum wage requirement. As the citizens lack the alternative of not taking the job, they look for more jobs just to ensure that by the end of the month, they have at least enough for themselves and their families. As they tire themselves to perform, we realize that the employers will suffer, as they are not getting maximum attention from their workers (Zavodny 735). For instance, an employee gets a job that is not well paying for about six hours daily. He or she will also look for another job that is also not paying so well for extra six hours on the same day. As they work for the six hours, they do it sparingly with the knowledge that they still have six more hours to work and hence sparing some energy. Such an attitude would be different if the employee was getting adequate compensation for the six hours and hence not having to bother about getting another job. The employee will therefore give maximum attention to the work with the knowledge that he or she is getting enough to sustain him or her.
Defaulting the minimum wage requirement has made employers lose some of their most competent and hardworking employees. After dedicating their time and energy to a job they are not appreciated and well rewarded, they resort to looking for better opportunities. It is unfortunate that most employees will only realize how much they have lost after the employee has left and they have gotten a replacement. Employers have to admit that hiring a new employee is costly and comes with many inconveniences. It will take quite some time before they adjust to the new environment and even understand what they are meant to do. Changing employees and training new ones can be a tiring circle especially when the employer loses and employee just after they have invested much in their training. Such inconveniences and issues could only be avoided if the employer were to be sensitive enough to know that the search for better paying jobs by employees is making them loose more.
While employees are busy thinking about getting the best services at a minimal cost, they are losing on competent personnel that would grow them. It is unfair for employers to think that that the desire to grow is only for them and not their employees. Every person at their level desires to grow into a better person in every sphere of their life. We all get tired of stagnation, routine and poverty. Everybody will hence desire to explore new avenues that will ensure their time is earning them what they deserve. Most of the problems that have been cited by employers for not compensating their employees adequately revolve back to them (Burdett & Dale 262). Issues such as misappropriation of funds, corruption, indiscipline and the likes are because employees are not motivated. They find it hard to own up to a job or company that does not recognize their hard work.
It may always appear expensive to invest in a workforce that you are not sure of their results, yet the sacrifice can be worth taking. The advantage is that, no employer is required to retain an employee who is not delivering as per requirements. It is hence fair for an employee to guarantee his or her workers a good package as long as they deliver as per the requirements. An employee will never think of quitting a particular job, irrespective of the pressure if the income is worth it. In fact, the employee will desire to put maximum concentration on the assignment with the knowledge that once they lose the chance, they may not get a better place. No employer enjoys recruiting and training workers on a regular basis, the same way, no employee enjoys changing jobs. Everybody wants to work happily in a familiar environment where they are assured of growth and motivation. The challenge to observe the minimum wage requirement hence lies with the employer who wants to observe change in his or her income as well as the growth of the overall economy. Always remember, cheap turns out to be expensive if appropriate measures are not taken.
Works cited
Burdett, Kenneth, and Dale T. Mortensen. "Wage differentials, employer size, and unemployment." International Economic Review (1998): 257-273.
Meyer, Robert H., and David A. Wise. "The effects of the minimum wage on the employment and earnings of youth." Journal of Labor Economics (1983): 66-100.
Zavodny, Madeline. "The effect of the minimum wage on employment and hours." Labour Economics 7.6 (2000): 729-750.
