POLL: How has COVID affected your job?

[Gameface]

If a person is offered employment and they refuse they are technically no longer eligible for unemployment benefits.

I don't know how that works logistically from an employer's point of view, if there is an actual mechanism for reporting a job offer that was declined.

Not sure it's even really in an employer's long term interest to report declined job offers, although I would think it would be as unemployment claims cost the previous employer money. You'd think in general employers would look out for each other by reporting declined job offers to thin the pool of people collecting unemployment and discourage abuse. Regardless, the rule is that if offered a job and you decline you are no longer eligible for unemployment.

 

[Miggs]

There was a point in my life where everything was going wrong, and I mean everything. If I listed it all you wouldn't believe me. At my lowest point a friend said, "Damn, something really good must be coming your way." I told him he was an idiot, and he told me that I would eventually see the light because "these sorts of things tend to even out." Man was he ever right. My life is now amazing in every way. On top of everything else, COVID which initially killed our business has now supercharged it. We have already set our all time record for a year (after being dead in the water for nearly four months), and we still have five months to go.

So keep your chin up because something really good is headed your way.

What kind of business?

 

[Miggs]

I work outside of the home in tourism, I run a whitewater rafting business in Jackson Hole. We have never had a busier July than this year. People are locking to yellowstone and grand teton. Its kind of wild. The spring was very different for me. I spent most of my time modeling financial situations for my company to try and make it through the pandemic. I did not think we would be able to operate at all, but it turns out we are. Basically, we have spent almost nothing, and been very busy, so profit margin will be very high.

Awesome, dude! I was wondering about that.

 

[Scat]

I don't like you as much as I like my optimistic friend.

You sound like my wife.

 

[Eminence]

Yep, of course. I will tell the CEO we need to pay warehouse material handlers 100k per year. That'll work!


Frankly I'd love to pay everyone 100k. But at some point you have to be realistic and do what you can in your sphere. So your suggestion is pretty short sighted given the current climate. But hey, tons of money for everyone, I'm fully on board!

There's a bit of a gap between $15/hour and 100k. Probably not up to you, but I'm not sure why you should be surprised either, those are borderline unlivable wages in parts of California, and not exactly good money anywhere in the US, even here in the middle of nowhere midwest.

 

[Joe Bagadonuts]

You sound like my wife.

What kind of business?

Real estate

 

[Joe Bagadonuts]

No, I think harder working happy employees will produce more. Meaning they can lower prices.

The chance that an employer can use a pay increase to get enough extra productivity from warehouse employees to justify lowering their prices to consumers is exceedingly low.

 

[Ron Mexico]

The chance that an employer can use a pay increase to get enough extra productivity from warehouse employees to justify lowering their prices to consumers is exceedingly low.

Possibly, but you can hire better employees. That's been well documented.

 

[Ron Mexico]

Yep, of course. I will tell the CEO we need to pay warehouse material handlers 100k per year. That'll work!


Frankly I'd love to pay everyone 100k. But at some point you have to be realistic and do what you can in your sphere. So your suggestion is pretty short sighted given the current climate. But hey, tons of money for everyone, I'm fully on board!

That's a big jump. Going from barely above minimum wage to 100k.

Other things are being discussed in a political way. I'm being sincere. If you can't hire people for what you are offering and you need employees then the best solution is to bump the wage up a little bit. You can possibly get better employees as a perk. Maybe a good hard working employee from another company will want that job.

It's not short sighted in this economy to pay a little more. It's short sighted to not get employees if you need them right now, even if they cost a little bit more.

But probably out of your control.

 

[babe]

Got it. Mixing pee with bleach will boost my sex life. @TroutBum I know that you are aware of this. What is your preferred ratio?

Oxidizing ammonia with bleach. hmmmm.....

you're stroking.......straws...... here.

I know the power of imagination is about 195% of any man's sex life, but really...... you'd do better to find a good thunderstorm to go out and dance in the rain with.

Getting struck by lightning is as good as sex with a bomb.

And besides, you know, there's a smell that comes with rain. It's as good as any perfume ladies have got, either in nature or by contrivance, and with lightning there's the definite smell of ozone, which will also do wonders on pee.

 

[infection]

Possibly, but you can hire better employees. That's been well documented.

So there's a pay bump to compete against unemployment. Then there would be another pay bump to get people above that tier. There may be a line that can get crossed where you'd make significantly more working than being on unemployment, but for every small increase in pay, it is only a fraction of the proportion of effort difference between full time and unemployed. For instance, many (most?) people would take a 20% reduction in pay if it meant a 100% reduction in work. You could probably continue that quite a ways down. If I could make even 40% of my income by not working, the reduction in headache would be massive. And worth it. Obviously I'm speaking hypothetically, but when people are put in a situation where you get significantly diminished returns on your efforts, it should not surprise that it does impact behavior.

 

[LogGrad98]

There's a bit of a gap between $15/hour and 100k. Probably not up to you, but I'm not sure why you should be surprised either, those are borderline unlivable wages in parts of California, and not exactly good money anywhere in the US, even here in the middle of nowhere midwest.

We are doing what we can. Right now 15 bucks is well ahead of minimum wage, and it's ahead of many similar jobs. It's never as simple as people try to make it out to be. Doing the best we can in our space.