Never Pay Your People What They're Worth

Now look at them yo-yo's that's the way you do it
You play the guitar on the MTV
That ain't workin' - that's the way you do it
Money for nothin' and your chicks for free
                                                            Dire Straights

We all like to get something for nothing, right?  But if you can’t win Powerball, landing a high-paying, high profile, piece-o-cake job with lots of perks and bene’s—offering generous amounts of recognition while requiring little responsibility—comes in a close second.

Imagine growing up in a world with 24/7/365 exposure to a plethora of peers who have that kind of deal going for themselves. Reality show stars, tournament poker players, dot com “wonder kids,” extreme skateboarders, first-round draft picks, rappers, rockers, actors, dancers, bloggers, models… everywhere you turn, you see live examples of people that have managed to separate effort from reward.

But there you are in your twenties, working a 9-to-5 (or worse, trying to find a 9-to-5), forced to adhere to structured rules and policies while actually contributing something of value to an organization in order to receive a paycheck. A check, incidentally, amounting to a pittance of what almost everyone else in your field of vision is pulling down.

You might feel slighted and develop a bit of a chip on your shoulder.  I know I would.

One of the greatest disservice parents can do to their children is to send them out in the real world without making absolutely certain that they understand and embrace the FYD (Forty Year Deal).

For all but a select few, the FYD will equate to the exchange of the work they do for the income they receive for doing it. Work is the space they will spend the predominant amount of their waking hours from the time they leave the nest until they call it quits; approximately forty years, give or take a decade.  And, for all but a select few, the bulk of the work they do will occur over a standard forty-hour week, which, as we all know, can frequently be stretched beyond unreasonable dimensions. (Yes, I’m familiar with the new shiny promise of a four-hour workweek. I just don’t buy it.)

However, if you tell a kid in today’s world that they better prepare themselves for the FYD because the odds of them becoming the next American Idol are astronomical, you’re at risk of being cast as a villain who ‘doesn’t believe in me’ or is ‘trying to steal my dream.’

The FYD isn’t a bad thing; in fact, it’s the foundation of the American Dream. We’re provided with a myriad of opportunities to learn, to choose, to contribute, and to advance and succeed; opportunities that are rare—if not absent—in most other countries.  Getting stuck in a bad job and feeling hopeless about one’s FYD is the result of making bad decisions; not being victimized by a bad system.

This is a core message that was once prevalent in our homes and schools. Now this principle is being drowned out by the ‘money for nothing’ examples made ubiquitous by the omnipresent media Gen Y and Z’s are exposed to. No wonder they have stars in their eyes and have been “blinded by the light.”

 “Pay me what I’m worth!”

I met Ramone while interviewing teens for an introductory A Game video. Ramone is a ticket-taker at a movie theater and told me the company has a strict rule against letting customers in carrying food not purchased at the concession stand.  “Do you enforce the rule?” I asked.  “Sometimes I do, but often I don’t,” he said, “I’m not paid enough to care.”

Amazing how many young workers I’ve interviewed feel this way.  Sad how many will grow to be bitter about their FYD.  How would you respond to a young person whose perspective of compensation for contribution has been totally skewed by the ‘stars’ they have been overexposed to, feeling they are being unfairly compensated for the work they do?

Well, I wasn’t actually there to respond to the young interviewees; I was there to listen. But when it came to Ramone, I couldn’t restrain myself.

“Ramone, like it or not, you will never be paid what you’re worth. If you get paid $8 an hour and only do $8 an hour worth of work, your company will lose money and go out of business. Then you’ll have no job. With all their expenses and taxes and their costs of doing business, your company needs you to perform at a level of at least $16 an hour just to break even. The good news is, if you start producing even more, you’ll increase your worth. Then, if you’re not getting a wage equal to the value you produce at this theater, another employer will jump at the chance to hire you. But they won’t pay you what you’re worth, they’ll pay you for the value you create for them.  Stop feeling ripped off and realize this is the way things are going to be—in whatever job or career path you choose—for the next forty years!”

It’s time we enlighten our future workforce to the FYD. It’s the only sure way to make their American dream come true.

back to top

Share Whys News

Whys News is published by Generation Why. Copyright © 2010 ChesPress Publications. All rights reserved. www.GenerationWhy.com.