A Company Copes With Backlash Against the Raise That Roared • Hacker News Board

Re: A Company Copes With Backlash Against the Raise That Roared

#191

Post by mistermann » Sat, Aug 01, 2015, 6:25 AM UTC

wmboy wrote: post #131

jefurii wrote: post #116

It's interesting to see him being accused of being "socialist" or "communist" when his decision seems to flow from his conservative Christian upbringing.

Interesting and even nonsensical. He's an entrepreneur, owns a for-profit business and is choosing to compensate how he wants to. It's actually the definition of how capitalism can improve quality of life for everyone, is it not?

Not really, because he's pushing towards a completely arbitrary minimum $70k salary for everyone. That's certainly his right as the business owner, and that sentiment shared more widely might be better for society, but there's nothing particularly "capitalistic" about it.

Re: A Company Copes With Backlash Against the Raise That Roared

#192

Post by azernik » Sat, Aug 01, 2015, 6:33 AM UTC

mistermann wrote: post #190

azernik wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are not crazy. My thoughts were that this reaction is totally predictable, no matter how morally absurd.

It may be morally absurd, but it's certainly not economically absurd.

I think it is - for the cited examples getting a raise from 40k to 70k, this is strictly better than what they had before,/but they're still complaining. Economic rationality has nothing to do with it.

Re: A Company Copes With Backlash Against the Raise That Roared

#193

Post by jacquesm » Sat, Aug 01, 2015, 6:35 AM UTC

Jealousy is quite common. You see plenty of instances of this, people can't wait to measure their self-worth relative to others and would happily affect the lives of others in a negative way simply because it makes them feel better about themselves. After all if you determine your status by the pay you receive and the stuff you can buy then it's better for you if your colleagues earn less than you and your self-worth will suffer if your colleagues earn the same.

Human nature is predictable and depressing.

Re: A Company Copes With Backlash Against the Raise That Roared

#194

Post by Frondo » Sat, Aug 01, 2015, 6:40 AM UTC

mistermann wrote: post #191

wmboy wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Interesting and even nonsensical. He's an entrepreneur, owns a for-profit business and is choosing to compensate how he wants to. It's actually the definition of how capitalism can improve quality of life for everyone, is it not?

Not really, because he's pushing towards a completely arbitrary minimum $70k salary for everyone. That's certainly his right as the business owner, and that sentiment shared more widely might be better for society, but there's nothing particularly "capitalistic" about it.

It's his money, he's the capital-holder, he can do what he wants with it. If he thinks it's better for his business to do this, that's entirely up to him.

Capitalism doesn't mean "pay your employees out according to some made-up scheme of who's-worth-what," though the weird calvinist pseudo-capitalism we love in the U.S. sure likes that kind of ranking.

Re: A Company Copes With Backlash Against the Raise That Roared

#195

Post by petersontimr » Sat, Aug 01, 2015, 6:41 AM UTC

That there is a video is interesting for the NYT. That it's using Flash player is doubly interesting.

Re: A Company Copes With Backlash Against the Raise That Roared

#196

Post by DannoHung » Sat, Aug 01, 2015, 6:44 AM UTC

api_or_ipa wrote: post #179

littletimmy wrote: post #169

The most repulsive thing to read here is the reaction of some of the customers. “What’s their incentive to hustle if you pay them so much?” Really? Do you ask that same question when a CEO gets millions of dollar in bonus? Nah, the CEOs simply "deserve" it. The employees though, they must hustle. Roughly transposed to the 17th century, that statement reads "What's the incentive for this n * to pick more cotton if he…

> How about observing how well they perform before bringing in your Ayn Rand propaganda. While I agree with the rest of your post, your portrayal of Ms. Rand's work is woefully inaccurate. No where do I recall she wrote of demeaning blacks, suppressing wages and preventing the equal participation of all capable people in a common market. Rand was very clear that racism and discrimination hindered the free market by p…

Hahahahah fuck off

"They (Native Americans) didn't have any rights to the land, and there was no reason for anyone to grant them rights which they had not conceived and were not using. What was it that they were fighting for, when they opposed white men on this continent? For their wish to continue a primitive existence, their 'right' to keep part of the earth untouched, unused and not even as property, but just keep everybody out so that you will live practically like an animal, or a few caves above it. Any white person who brings the element of civilization has the right to take over this continent."

Re: A Company Copes With Backlash Against the Raise That Roared

#197

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Aug 01, 2015, 6:53 AM UTC

jacquesm wrote: post #193

Jealousy is quite common. You see plenty of instances of this, people can't wait to measure their self-worth relative to others and would happily affect the lives of others in a negative way simply because it makes them feel better about themselves. After all if you determine your status by the pay you receive and the stuff you can buy then it's better for you if your colleagues earn less than you and your self-worth…

[deleted]

Re: A Company Copes With Backlash Against the Raise That Roared

#198

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Aug 01, 2015, 7:09 AM UTC

shoo wrote: post #143

> Roger Reynolds, a co-owner of a wealth management company, said his discussion of the pay plan with Mr. Price got heated. “My wife and I got so frustrated with him at a cocktail party, we literally left,” said Mr. Reynolds, who complained that Mr. Price unfairly accused him of measuring his self-worth solely in terms of money and trying to hold somebody else down. Everyone may have equal rights, but not equal talen…

[deleted]

Re: A Company Copes With Backlash Against the Raise That Roared

#199

Post by PhasmaFelis » Sat, Aug 01, 2015, 7:10 AM UTC

morgante wrote: post #155

I hope some academics are doing a study on this, as it's an almost prefect real-world example of efficiency wages.[1] I wouldn't be surprised if they see large increases in productivity amongst downmarket employees, as they now have an extremely strong incentive to kick ass at their job (any other job they could get would pay significantly less). That being said, I also sympathize with the workers who were making $70…

> That being said, I also sympathize with the workers who were making $70k. If I were making $70k and a junior developer making $30k before (all hypothetical) got a raise to $70k I would absolutely be pissed off that I am now apparently considered equally valuable to them.

I am baffled by this mindset. You had something that you were happy with, but now it's suddenly not good enough, because someone that you consider your inferior has it too and it's messing with your sense of superiority. This isn't even throwing a tantrum because the neighbor kid got a better toy--this is throwing a tantrum because the neighbor kid got the same toy.

Re: A Company Copes With Backlash Against the Raise That Roared

#200

Post by PhasmaFelis » Sat, Aug 01, 2015, 7:13 AM UTC

> Two of Mr. Price’s most valued employees quit, spurred in part by their view that it was unfair to double the pay of some new hires while the longest-serving staff members got small or no raises.

Man, that must have been awkward to explain to anyone who stopped by while you were cleaning out your desk. "Yeah, I'm quitting because you don't deserve more money, peasant. It was really nice working with you, though!"