Is it good employer strategy to pay my employees just enough so that they can’t save money, so that they can never walk away from the job?
Like, there is a threshold where if they are able to save X per month, they will eventually use that against you and quit at an inopportune time?
And if that threshold falls below state mandated minimum wage, what steps can be taken to mitigate this?
I don’t appreciate the sarcasm. Things have become tight. And after some knuckleheads couldn’t handle basic tasks in a basic industry, I have found we are able to operate with just half of the staff I used to pay. The ones who stick around know their worth.
What I’m worried about is that the remainder will also try an leave, knowing that I rely on them more than ever before. So my angle is to obfuscate the fact that I actually need them. How do I make sure they can’t read me on that?
Good. That’s the point.
It’s a shaming tactic that you aren’t supposed to enjoy.
You’re making double, dole that money out, at least part of it. I recommend off the cuff giving COL raises and improving health care a bit - improving family benefits seems to go over well. Tell everyone you know they’re working harder, and you want to recognize this. People will propose new machinery that care about the job… build a case for it and show them where you see the numbers in the long term.
Maybe it’s time to admit that you are bad at this and you should do something else besides trying to run a business. It’s clearly not your forte.