Truth My Kids Will Know - Your Employer Is Not Your Parent

 Lie #15 - Employers are responsible for the lives of their workers

Point A: "You are not a slave to your employer. No one is forcing you to work for them against your will. If you feel that your work is worth more than what your employer is paying you, you are 100% free to end your employment with them and seek work elsewhere."

Point B: "If you are unable to find an employer that is willing to pay you more, then please consider the possibility that your work is actually not worth more than your current employer is paying you." 

Point C: Rather than feel insulted by Point B (as if  you are being valued personally rather than the work you're doing), you always have the option to accept the responsibility of improving your skill-set, work ethic, and experience; thus increasing the monetary value of the work you do."

Have you ever heard something like this?

• "That is an evil company! All they care about is making money!"
• "They don't pay me enough to do this job!"
• "This company doesn't take care of their employees enough."

Of course you've heard it. Without fail, companies and employers are the villain in today's culture. The majority of Americans believe that their problems come from not having enough. Those same Americans will then blame their financial state on their employers. "If they just paid me what I was worth, I would have a good life!" (If this is your opinion of your employer, please see Points A through C.)

The statement "They don't pay me enough" only shows a person's ignorance.

First of all...they're paying you exactly what you agreed to work for. Even if you never get a raise while you're there, they don't owe you more than you signed on for. So if YOU agreed to work for less than what YOU think is "enough", whose fault is that?

Secondly...refer back to Point A. You're not their slave. If you honestly think they're not paying you enough, why would you continue working there and complain about it? If your work is truly worth more, wouldn't there be another business that was willing to pay you more for it?

Contrary To Popular Opinion

Listen to me - because you probably won't hear this anywhere else: Your employer is NOT responsible for the quality of your life. It's a simple thing to understand. Businesses exist to make money, not to "take care" of their employees. This isn't wrong or evil or selfish. In fact, there's a lot of good that comes from a business making money...such as paying their employees.

Your employer is not like your parent, as if their role is to make sure you're properly fed and clothed. They're not responsible for making sure you can go to a doctor, pay your bills, and stay in your home. That's your job as an adult human. Their only responsibility toward you is to pay you what you worked for, based on the mutual agreement between the two of you. 

Most businesses aren't "good" or "evil" (unless they're involved in shady practices or immoral products). They simply exist...at least as long as they're making money. If those businesses stop making money, or end up paying out more than they bring in, then they will stop existing. This is why it's not usually a good thing to have a group of employees demanding that their employers pay them more - especially if they're demanding to be paid more than what their work is worth.

Have you ever thought this through? Your employer does not have an unlimited supply of cash, to pay every worker what he or she feels is "fair" or "right".

Let's say that a burger shop has 20 employees. Like every successful business, they've calculated the price of their product to be the best value to their customers, while still making enough to pay bills and make payroll for those 20 employees. Then a few of their employees stir up the rest to go on strike and demand that their wages go up...what's going to happen?

• The shop decides that they cannot give a raise based on their profit margin, and so they're forced to fire the striking employees and start over with new ones.
  Who wins?
• The shop decides to raise the price of their burgers to cover the cost of the raise. Business slows down because customers are no longer willing to pay the increased price. Soon the company is no longer competitive and goes out of business shortly afterwards.
  Who wins?
• The shop raises their employees' pay rate, but then lays off 5 of their workers to make up the difference. Now 5 people have lost their jobs, and the remaining 15 have an increased work load.
  Who wins?

You should not be fighting your employer like this - you're on the same team. The money they make and the money you make are a direct result of paying customers. Why don't you start working together with them?

The Value of The Work You Do

When you were hired, you and your employer came to a mutual agreement on what your work would be worth. From that point on, complaining that "they don't pay you enough" is silly. If you want to be paid more, you'll have to increase the value of what you do. Thankfully, there are ways to do that!

How to INCREASE the value of your work:

1. Knowledge.
   You should be a ravenous learner at work.
   Read manuals.
   Read instructions.
   Ask questions.
   Become the expert in the job that you do.

2. Dependency.
   Be reliable.
   Show up on time...every time.
   Don't spend work time in the bathroom or at a vending machine.
   Use your breaks for what they're intended.
   If you have a workstation, make sure your boss knows that's where he can find you. 

3. Good Attitude.

   Don't complain about things you don't like.

   Resolve your own personal conflicts.

   Be pleasant in your conversations.

   HELP your boss...don't backbite him.

4. Take Responsibility

   If you mess up, own up to it and try to fix it.

   If there's something that needs done in your area, take the initiative.

   Avoid the "That's not my job" trap.

5. Diligence.

   Don't wander around aimlessly.

   Move and work with a purpose.

   Set your own goals and timeframes to meet them by.

   Decide to measure and improve the quality of the work you do.

Essentially, your work's value increases when you live up to the work ethic found in these two verses:

 - Colossians 3:23 - "And whatever you do, do it with all your heart, as to the Lord, and not to men..."

 - Ecclesiastes 9:10 - "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with [all] your might..."

This last verse is what I call "the believer's work ethic". First you find something to do. Then you do it until it's done. And then you find something else to do.

Notice, these five items don't require college degrees. They don't need special skill sets or extra training. Anyone can put them into practice on their job. And all of them add up to increased value to your employer.

Why does this matter? Because of a timeless Biblical principal found in Luke 16:10,12 - "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much...And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?"

Your employer will see an increased value to your work when you're faithful. And 9 times out of 10, he will be willing to pay for that increased value. This is how you can change what you're being paid at your workplace.

(And if you end up with the one employer that won't respond the way you think he should...go back to Points A, B, and C.)

Sure, working God's way is more difficult than complaining about your job and your boss...but I promise you, His way is also much more rewarding.

While the world is ganging up against their employers...accusing them of "not caring" for their workers; my kids will be working circles around them. While their peers keep talking...they'll be taking over their workplaces!