About two days ago, I read a Business Insider article that wrote about government gazetting the new national minimum wage which is now R21.69 per hour. This is an increase of 4.5% from last year. More specifically, the same article mentioned the minimum wage of domestic workers increased from R15.57 per hour to R19.09, a hike of almost 23%.
This got me thinking about human nature once again, and I just had to share this train of thought with all of you.
If you pay your domestic either the old minimum wage or the new one, we might need to have a chat. I don’t know how people survive on these small amounts in the first place, but there’s a bigger issue at play here for me.
You don’t need a government to tell you to pay your domestic worker, your gardener, or any other employee some kind of liveable wage.
You should just pay your staff well because it’s the empathetic and human thing to do. Don’t fall into the trap of making excuses or comparing the wage you pay to others.
If most of us are honest, we will admit that we spend a silly amount of money on frivolous stuff. But even if you don’t, it still doesn’t matter. We have a responsibility to look after each other.
I am glad that government has increased the minimum wage, but it is still woefully short. But either way, the government isn’t my barometer for what my domestic should earn. What you pay your domestic worker isn’t my barometer either. Paying someone enough so that they can live with dignity is the only way to go here. This is obviously a complicated issue, but there is always space for us to be more HUMAN!
Mark
PS. I’ve just launched a new webinar series called “Cut the Fluff” which focuses on business, branding, marketing, communication, and advertising. My next guest is Mike Stopforth next Tuesday, and there is no cost to join: https://event.webinarjam.com/channel/CTF3MikeStopforth
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