Ethics: Would you work just as hard if you were underpaid AND disrespected? (employees, average)
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I still believe that you should give any job your 100% even if you're being paid under the fair/market salary.. at the same time, you'd definitely want to find something better.
Although it's not ideal, I can tolerate a certain level of "disrespect" if I'm being fairly or over paid.
Now suppose you are being paid below your market value. Not just slightly below like 10% but grossly, say 30% or more below. ALSO, your boss doesn't treat you with the respect any human being expects to be treated. For example, any of the following (but not limited to those):
- Yelling/screaming at you on a regular basis over the smallest mistakes, especially if other coworkers aren't treated the same way.
- Talking negatives about you behind your back with other coworkers.
- etc.
Assume you've done all of the following to no avail in the short term:
- Asked for a raise.
- Asked to be treated with some basic respect.
- Applied to jobs elsewhere.
Would you still be willing to give your employer your 100%? The ethical answer is "Yes", but would you be willing to work just as hard in practice? Or you would give your employer "what he/she paid for"? In practice, I don't think I could do it.
Just wondering..
Last edited by ragnarkar; 05-14-2014 at 01:59 PM..
It depends how thick your skin is. Some people cannot tolerate a bad environment no matter how much they are offered wheras I could probably put up with a certain level of disresepct and just shrug it off and not care for extra monetary compensation. Low pay + Bad environment = disengagement.
It's all relative. If you are working for $20 per hour in a field that averages pay of $25 per hour, you might feel underpaid, but still be aware that you are getting decent pay.
It depends. Is this job a means to an end or is it a dead end? I've worked in jobs where I was grossly underpaid compared to my peers but my hard work and determination paid off and I was eventually rewarded with a competitive salary. Never would have gotten there if I had taken the attitude of working comensurate with my pay.
That said, I'd never tolerate working in a job where I was disrespected. I'd be looking for a way out and I can't say I'd be "giving it my all" if there was nothing for me in return. I'd still do what was expected but wouldn't put forth any addiitonal effort. If I thought I could transfer internally to a better position, I'd make sure my performance didn't hold me back though.
Absolutely not. I have worked as a contractor at a number of places where the employees made the contractors feel second class. It's really irritating to be treated less-than.
Depends on how badly I need the job and if I could find another job if I walked out the door. If I can't find one, I would become thick skinned, face it bravely and carry on with my job until I could find another.
I still believe that you should give any job your 100% even if you're being paid under the fair/market salary.. at the same time, you'd definitely want to find something better.
Although it's not ideal, I can tolerate a certain level of "disrespect" if I'm being fairly or over paid.
Now suppose you are being paid below your market value. Not just slightly below like 10% but grossly, say 30% or more below. ALSO, your boss doesn't treat you with the respect any human being expects to be treated. For example, any of the following (but not limited to those):
- Yelling/screaming at you on a regular basis over the smallest mistakes, especially if other coworkers aren't treated the same way.
- Talking negatives about you behind your back with other coworkers.
- etc.
Assume you've done all of the following to no avail in the short term:
- Asked for a raise.
- Asked to be treated with some basic respect.
- Applied to jobs elsewhere.
Would you still be willing to give your employer your 100%? The ethical answer is "Yes", but would you be willing to work just as hard in practice? Or you would give your employer "what he/she paid for"? In practice, I don't think I could do it.
Just wondering..
I would give any job I had my utmost, but it would be because of my own work ethic and integrity, and the fact that no matter what the job is, what I do in that job is a reflection of my own character and person. That makes it mandatory for me to do the best I can, especially as I accepted that job and agreed to the conditions of the job.
That said, you better believe I'd be looking to hightail it out of there, as soon as I found something else. But I'd know that my failure at that job was because of others, NOT because of my lack of doing a good job. And I'd mentally thumb my nose at those who made my life miserable at the other job, and never look back.
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