Minimum Wage Increase - I approve

Minimum Wage Increase - I approve.

As a small business owner I have had to face the realities of wages and take an honest look at it.

There are many good reasons to leave wages alone and let things sort themselves out but there are also plenty of reasons why minimum wages should be increased. By the way....I don't support the government's intervention in this matter. I think it's the business owner's decision to make. I think it's a personal choice of the business owner's and the government should butt out.  However, these are the reasons I believe minimum wages (in one's own business) should be at a higher level than what the government demands:

1. What worth do you attach to your employees?  I personally don't want to work with employees whose time I consider to be low.  I want employees who bring value to the table. I want employees who increase the customer (patient) experience in my clinic.  9.00 an hour works out to 15 cents a minute. Do I want any person around me (8 hours a day) who considers their own personal time worth only 15 cents a minute.No! I want employees around whose time is considered valuable (by them and by me). If an employee's time is only worth cents per minute that person is just not ready to be employed - they need more schooling or more (social/job/life) experience.

2. Paying a higher salary allows me the opportunity to pick and choose the cream of the crop. Highly valuable and capable people cost more. They know they are worth it. These are the kinds of people I want to be working with. Starting with a higher salary I get a large pool of applicants to pick from and these people tend to be smarter, faster, more capable and mentally capable.  I have advertised for employees for 10.00 an hour jobs and for 15.00 and the difference in the applicants are night and day. Even though I could land someone to work for me for 9 or 10.00 an hour. I wouldn't want the headaches involved.

3. Employees making minimum wage HAVE TO work second jobs and have to have some source of secondary income. It is virtually impossible to live on 360.00 a week once the government takes its 20-30%.  If the employee lives with their parents or has a supportive spouse then its doable but who wants to work 40 hours a week just to afford groceries, basic transportation, and minimal entertainment. That is no life.

4. I consider it a bit of a crime to put someone in a position wherein they are giving, giving, giving and not getting a return somewhere near the value being put out.  When I was younger I worked at a fast food joint. The pay was poor. I worked hard. I was a decent employee and gave good service. At the end of the week however, I had little to show for my efforts. When the balance of pay coming in and expenses going out are very disproportionate then one starts becoming irate and finding explanations of how they are being wronged. People are not happy when there exists a huge imbalance between work given and pay received. I cannot have my business survive by giving poor service to patients and asking for good payment in return. The patients will leave in flocks. There has to be a balance.

5. Employees who are paid well...show it.  Employees who receive a fair pay will work harder, will be more cheerful and interested  in their jobs and will fight for their jobs and respect. They don't meander around, waiting for the clock to wind down and keep checking their watches. It is a pleasure to give good employee work when one is getting paid decently for that work. It is painful to give good work when one is not getting a decent return for that work.

6. My employees are my friends. I don' t offer my friends a poor payment for good work given. If a friend comes in and puts in a floor or remodels my office I pay them fairly for their time and energy - I don't pay them 9.00 an hour for their efforts (that would end the friendship). Paying 9.00 an hour to anyone in a decent economy is going to kill any chance of a friendship. We have to be in accord and harmony when we work together for 8 hours a day. One person cannot be resentful or feel like they're being wronged all the time.

7. Aptitude matters more than anything else. If a person can hear something or read something and then immediately put it into action or apply that then this person can be trained in anything quickly and rapidly. People with a high aptitude and who are sharp are well worth the extra few bucks every week. Licensing and Certification is necessary for technical jobs but I am happy to hire an untrained person if they are smart and quick to learn and I'll choose that person 9 times out of 10 over someone who's had schooling but takes multiple repeats to get a point across.

8. A higher wage gives you people who will solve the problem themselves. I like hiring people who are problem solvers. When I pay more I am allowed to expect them to take charge and really be the boss of their area. A higher salary gives me the power and right to have higher demands. If I pay my employees a low salary I have very little grounds to stand on and have little right to demand more and better. My staff require little supervision. They learn their jobs and do their jobs well without much push on my part. That is due to their higher salaries.

9. I want proud employees. I don't want employees with little or no worth. 

10. I want employees who are focused on my business. When employees are paid poorly, they have to divide their attentions and seek a second and third job. I want that employee to work for me and only me. I want them to have free time to think up better ways to do their jobs and better ways to perform their job. I want them to come in on off-hours and have motivation to organize and better run their zone.

11. Well paid employees are loyal. Well paid employees will defend you when others attack or disparage you. Giving a fair compensation creates people who will defend you. You are a good person when you give people a fair pay and people will defend you even if they have to leave the job for some reason or the other. Goodwill in the society is spread by word of mouth. Former employees and current employees talk about you and your profession outside of the office and people listen to these opinions. Poor pay equals rants and discontent. Good pay equals good will and good public relations. 

This is just my two cents on the matter. I pay my staff well and therefore life is easier. I like it like that.

-Dr. Edward Owens, D.C.