Office pay amount - please help me

amother

Olive

Thu, Oct 25 2018, 8:12 pm

amother wrote:

I work in a BP office with several women. 4 years experience at the job. I make approx $26-27 and hour.

I think the amounts paid written in this post are quite low. The cost of living is very high. Babysitting costs $6 an hour. Cleaning ladies charge $13 an hour. I believe I should be earning at least double of what my cleaning lady earns.

Op here, I also think some people mentioned low prices. But I do think it also makes a difference if you get paid hourly or weekly, etc. I get paid by the hour, which means no money over you Tov, no sick days etc. I come in for my hours and get paid just for that. I do believe I should get more per hour than someone getting weekly/monthly paychecks.

simba

Thu, Oct 25 2018, 8:20 pm

You can ask for a raise. Tell them how much you are asking for. Do not leave it in their court. They will always give you less then you ask for so inflate it a bit.
I say that you can ask for $25 an hr.

amother

Pearl

Thu, Oct 25 2018, 8:26 pm

amother wrote:

OP - the reality is that your boss is going to pay you the least amount possible. Every dollar he pays you is a dollar less for him.

Now I get you are living in a bit of parallel universe to mine- where women (girls?) get paid more when they have children or other such things... so I don't know where your boss' head is at - but on my side of the fence - raises are given because of 'market pressure' not because boss does what is fair.

So just go into his office - and say 'boss I think its time we discussed my raise' and see where that goes. If you don't like what he says - be prepared to look for something else - and you'll find out what you are worth in the market place.

amother

Aquamarine

Thu, Oct 25 2018, 8:47 pm

amother wrote:

Employers don't care how much you pay your babysitters, cleaning ladies, tuition etc..,
they want to pay the lowest salary possible, which is why you frequently see ads in local papers specifying that they are looking for high school and seminary graduates, or they will say female preferred...

amother

Firebrick

Thu, Oct 25 2018, 9:18 pm

I do think that once you’re working in a place for a couple of years it makes sense for the boss to recognize your other expenses. He hired me as a young girl but eventually came to value my work and by now does not think I can be replaced by a young girl as it will take her at least 2 years to get to the point of experience I now have.

He will be paying for at least 2 years of sub-par work until he gets someone to be a valuable asset to his business.

That’s why bosses DO think about the expenses that you have. Because if they value your work they want to keep you and do not want you to leave because your making just $ 2-3 more than your cleaning lady.

amother

Pearl

Thu, Oct 25 2018, 9:22 pm

amother wrote:

If your boss wants to keep you as an employee he needs to pay you enough to keep you. That's it. That's all it is. If you don't have cleaning lady (its optional!) every dollar you earn per hour is a dollar more than your cleaning lady.

amother

Ivory

Thu, Oct 25 2018, 11:22 pm

Simple1 wrote:

That's very backwards. Lakewood cost of living is lower and wages have always been lower than in Brooklyn. When did this all change? I guess when Lakewood became high end...

It's probably because in Lakewood women are expected to be the main breadwinners. You can't support a family - even in Lakewood - on a single minimum-wage salary.

amother

Ivory

Thu, Oct 25 2018, 11:25 pm

amother wrote:

Not really understanding why you even started this thread. It seems you were certain before that you deserve more, so just ask for it. Either he'll say yes, or he'll say no, and if he laughs about it he probably won't do it in front of you. What do you have to lose?

MrsDash

Fri, Oct 26 2018, 12:04 am

amother wrote:

So I guess having a computer and a desk earns you the right to make double than someone on their hands and knees cleaning someone else’s filth?

Raisin

Fri, Oct 26 2018, 5:04 am

MrsDash wrote:

So I guess having a computer and a desk earns you the right to make double than someone on their hands and knees cleaning someone else’s filth?

no. I actually think being a good cleaning lady is a skilled job, (and a really good cleaning lady can probably ask for and get more money) but the reality is you can do this without being able to speak, read or write english. An office worker needs good english skills, plus to know how to use a computer and type. Possibly bookkeeping ability too.