Ethics: Would you work just as hard if you were underpaid AND disrespected?

[Woodrow LI]

Originally Posted by Cleveland_Collector

Possibly, though doubtful. There are plenty of people doing excellent and innovative work out there. The American worker is also more productive than ever. It's always the way of the elder statesmen to look fondly upon the past without ever acknowleding that the past was screwed up as well only in different ways. From 1945 to the 1970's, the US was the only player on the industrial block so the nonsense occurring at the workplace today didn't happen as much then. Also, your generation generally was compensated well for its efforts. A guy could leave high-school at 16-17 years old and get a good paying job at a steel mill or an auto plant, stay there for 40 years and retire with a pension. Try doing that today. The baby-boomers had the luxury of being able to be minimally educated and well compensated. On-the-job training was the norm, and it was a foregone conclusion that you would likely never leave that company. Fast forward 40-50 years...

I usually find that its more the fact that it's tied to the broken morale at the workplace due to the fact that underpaid, disrespected people know full well that their livelihood is perpetually being shopped to the lowest bidder. Moreover, it's happening to everyone else as well -- this doesn't help matters. The lowest paid among us simply feel it the most. While their are some well-meaning companies out there, too many have adopted the soulless M.O. of the Wal Marts of the world -- you know, providing billions to the priviledged few while collectively taking a giant dump on their everyday workforce. So, for you to suggest that this sentiment has anything to do with people not taking "pride" in doing "an exemplary job" simply means that you aren't really paying a whole lot of attention. For most of the people you are deriding, this is about survival. Most of them work 2 of these crappy jobs just to make ends meet. Compounded with the fact that they know the work is temporary, how does one see this situation as anything more than output:compensation parity?

Nothing to disagree with there.

But, some thoughts.

1. Employees now feel Jobs are temporary and not a long term commitment

2. Employers see employees as expendable, unwanted but needed expenses

3. There is a Them vs Us attitude between Employees/Employers

4. Wages are no longer based upon production but by bargaining ability

Lots of problems in today's work world. On all sides

I do not know what the solution is, but I do believe the only person any of us can change is our self. If we dislike a situation we have very few choices. We can separate our self from the situation, Change our attitude about the situation or become part of the problem.

[Yiuppy]

I stopped volunteering at an organization, which I will not name, because the receptionist was such a pain towards me. I dealt with it gracefully for a few months, but after six months, I ended up having a breakdown over it and left. And that was me volunteering in something I actually did enjoy.

I definitely wouldn't be able to tolerate it if I were working hard and disrespected - not for long at least. Everyone has a breaking point and everyone deserves to be treated with respect by default, unless they lose it. I definitely don't believe in the "you gotta' earn a right to be respected as a human being" saying.

[alphamale]

Originally Posted by Mnseca

You would if it was that or homelessness.

That will never be a decision for me.

[Chaosbutterfly]

I am underpaid and disrespected.

It took me a minute to realize that this is not how a job is supposed to be, that this is not how supervisors and coworkers are supposed to act, and that my salary is shameful given my job duties and the CoL in my area, but once I came to terms with it, I stopped working hard lol. Or rather, I pled my case to my supervisors at my one year review, and they basically told me too bad, suck it up, you agreed to this salary and nobody asked you to put in extra hours or take on extra work. I **** you not, that's what they said. And then I stopped working hard.

Now I just do the bare minimum of my job. I work my 40 hours, none extra, do exactly what's on my job description, none extra, and treat my coworkers civilly, no extra.

Even by just doing my job well as written, they're getting more than what they deserve out of me. I'm not a subpar worker or a lazy person, and I'll never be one, so I do my job and I do it fine. But I'll be damned if I go above and beyond any more, for some people who don't deserve it.

I am actively looking, so hopefully, I can land something new. And tell these people kiss my entire ass.

[Malloric]

In general, I wouldn't work for someone who didn't pay me adequately. I'm in a slightly different position as I'm self-employed via an agency relationship. There's a couple agencies that like to do contracting with larger national companies with severely substandard rates. The vast majority give them the finger and do their job and charge them regular rates, but not all. I had one company I worked with pretty regularly that kept putting me on those contract jobs. Unfortunately, I never work for them anymore. Typically I only know the afternoon before exactly what I'll be doing so it's too late to really back out of those deals. Since that particularly agency repeatedly put me on those jobs after I told them I wouldn't do them, I just found it best to no longer work with them at all. I would never do substandard work regardless of the rate of pay as my name is on it. I just draw a line and won't do that kind of work.

There's some non-legal sector work that pays less and generally expects lower quality. I still do do that, but that's a little different. The level of detail expected is much less which means you can churn more of it out. They're more looking for summaries than something that's going to be nitpicked to death.

[boiselover]

I've been in this position and soldiered on doing my best until I could afford to leave my ex just went through this (we're friends) she is being mistreated and underpaid hell threatened at her current job. The plan is to jump ship to another job within the month I hope it works out for her

[MissSoBelle]

I think most of the baby boomer generation would give 100% in a situation like that...although they would probably be looking for another job. They would just be grateful that they had a job.

I had one job that was similar to what you described...although I was paid fairly well, but the office manager was a total *****. I gave 100%, but I was looking for another job. When you have a job where you dread to get out of bed in the morning, it is time to find another job.

[MJ7]

No, I would not. I would do the bare minimum to get by and then I would look elsewhere.

[Woodrow LI]

Just food for thought. Some jobs that dedicated people stay at and give full effort in excess of expectations, in spite of low salaries and poor working conditions

Career Military

Teaching

Artists

Religious vocations