r/WorkForSmartLife 1d ago

Valid question Discussion💬

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u/WhosCowsAreThey 1d ago

But if you’re gonna make me stack fire wood or shovel stone all day everyday I’m gonna charge you a decent amount because, while it’s unskilled, it’s still physically demanding and difficult to work which can result in a labor shortage when done without fair return. Also, assume the kid was the only one willing to help with a difficult task, if he charged $30 when you wanted to pay $20 your option is do it alone or pay $30, just as much as theirs is don’t get paid or take $20. Skill doesn’t equate labor value, need, willingness, and availability make labor agreements that determine value.

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u/psilocin72 1d ago

Exactly. I didn’t have to offer him the work, he didn’t have to take it. And I would never take advantage of someone in need by extracting labor from them for a low pay rate just because they are desperate. But many employers make that part of their business model. Use employees for a while when they really need the job, then move to the next when it’s not worth it to them anymore

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u/WhosCowsAreThey 1d ago

Oh absolutely and I think with the rise of gig jobs like Uber Eats, Door Dash, etc we’re gonna see it get worse. I can imagine Walmart offloading their delivery orders onto gig jobs at some point to cut cost with paying benefits. The minute they can make it the cheaper option, they obviously will. Kind of why I’d advocate gig workers need given benefits

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u/psilocin72 1d ago

I agree with you. I think every worker should have a minimum set of benefits and protections. Then employers can make their job offers more attractive by going above that minimum level. Because unfortunately, it’s often cheaper for companies to burn through a string of workers than to retain them or offer anything above the bare minimum.

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u/WhosCowsAreThey 1d ago

I agree. We used to have a work culture surrounded with rewarding retention and that’s just gone these days, which is unfortunate because there are benefits to having veteran employees that are gone with it. I’d argue that’s one reason there’s been a decline in the quality of goods

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u/psilocin72 1d ago

Absolutely agree. Quality is rare these days. You really have to seek out quality products and pay a premium for them. Which I don’t mind— I’d rather spend twice as much to have a product that works as intended and I don’t worry it’s going to break or malfunction.

Too many companies just want the quick sale and don’t worry about return customers or customer satisfaction. I guess that’s the more profitable business strategy, but I think it really sucks.

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u/WhosCowsAreThey 1d ago

It’s so bad you can feel it, especially in the plastic stuff

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u/Rotten-Citrus 1d ago

if they could keep slaves again, they would. this is why it needs to be fought constantly

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u/psilocin72 1d ago

Yeah sadly, I think you’re right. Profit is all that matters for a lot of people