Would the world be a better place if everyone was payed on merit?

[Eukaryote]

I belive it would, I see no reason why not. And you think...

Edit: Merit means paying people based on thier atutude and job perfomance, not connections and senority.

 

[Tycoon101]

Depends on the "merit".

If it's give to the poor, but don't pay the rich, then no.

But if it's give to those who give, and don't pay the people who do not contribute, then yes.

 

[Birdjaguar]

Only about 20% would be paid at all!

 

[Samson]

It depends on what you mean by merit. If you mean what you can convince a company you are worth, what "added value" you can bring to the company, then it is not that far off at the moment. At least on a national scale.

Once we can get rid of all trade barriers, both in the goods market and the labour market, then we will have a true value based labour market. I belive this would be a much better way to run the world.

 

[Perfection]

No, because everyone in the world but me would end up penniless.

 

[Bartleby]

Good lord no. There's no way I'm going to pay my employers.

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

Yes. ten char

 

[tomsnowman123]

I think that we should be more concerned with fair pay. When simply phrased as a question of merit, most people will believe it sounds good. In reality, I doubt it would work, and it would merely allow corporations and such more control over wages, which they would undoubtedly make unfair and to low to allow living.

 

[Mastreditr111]

I think that we should be more concerned with fair pay. When simply phrased as a question of merit, most people will believe it sounds good. In reality, I doubt it would work, and it would merely allow corporations and such more control over wages, which they would undoubtedly make unfair and to low to allow living.

Obviously it would have the potential, just like everything else, for abuse, but the point is that, hypothetically, if it were possible to do it properly, would it help or hurt?

Also, what is fair pay but pay that someone has earned by their contribution to society. (say NO to welfare, YES to higher education!!!)

 

[Caprice]

Ideally, all pay should be based on performance. Attitude can be part of performance but isn't always (meaning, it makes a bigger difference if your job is customer service, less of a difference if you work a factory line job). Seniority should have no impact, and neither should connections when it is preventable.

One issue to this is who quantifies a worker's performance? It is a subjective thing -- the worker might think he/she does well and deserves more but the employer might think otherwise because [insert any number of bogus reasons].

Also, what is fair pay but pay that someone has earned by their contribution to society.

An employer should not be obligated to do any more than compensate an employee for their contribution to the company. A person's worth to society is not the employer's concern.

 

[Rhymes]

No, merit is something subjective. It gives place to interpretetion. How would we ever be able to all agree on which job deserves more merit?

A doctor that only really works 7 hours out of 8 has less merit then a garbage man who works non-stop during all of his shift?

Many other questions also arise:
Where do you put the education factor in?
Where do you put the physical security factor in?
Where do you put the social contribution factor (ie, a doctor is more important then a baseball player).
And so on.........

So NO, it would be to hard to determinate.

 

[tomsnowman123]

Rhymes covered this right as I was typing. As he said, merit is subjective. Is a good employee one who simply covers the cost of their wage? Is a good employer someone who goes above and beyond? Who comes in for extra time? Which one deserves the merit? Again, the idea is good at it's heart, and logically makes sense, but is simply impossibe.

 

[Mastreditr111]

An employer should not be obligated to do any more than compensate an employee for their contribution to the company. A person's worth to society is not the employer's concern.

I am sorry, that is what I meant. Just used society as a generic.

 

[Caprice]

I am sorry, that is what I meant. Just used society as a generic.

No problemo - I was just makign certain that I had covered my own thoughts sufficiently as to leave no room (hopefully) for questioning what I meant.

 

[Mastreditr111]

Ok.

Rhymes and Tomsnowman: I think this is meant to be hypothetical. An "If it could be done, should it?" kind of deal.

 

[tomsnowman123]

Ok.

Rhymes and Tomsnowman: I think this is meant to be hypothetical. An "If it could be done, should it?" kind of deal.

Hypothetically? Probably, as long as some kind of living wage was established so that pay couldn't go to low, than yes, people shoud be paid on merit.

 

[Mastreditr111]

Hypothetically? Probably, as long as some kind of living wage was established so that pay couldn't go to low, than yes, people shoud be paid on merit.

Regulation and a sort of minimum wage would need to exist. Though I think that those who didn't work at all would be fired, and I wouldn't support them through any kind of welfare, just tell them to go get a job and work at it this time.

 

[Rhymes]

Ok.

Rhymes and Tomsnowman: I think this is meant to be hypothetical. An "If it could be done, should it?" kind of deal.

If God could talk to us and give us a chart about jobs and there merit, and that everyone would agree on his holy judgement..... then yes I would agree.

I do admit that I find it hard to watch beer bellied baseball players make millions a year while my moms makes about 35000$ a year taking care of elders so they can have some dignity during the last stretch of their lives (she's a nurse).

 

[Caprice]

I do admit that I find it hard to watch beer bellied baseball players make millions a year while my moms makes about 35000$ a year taking care of elders so they can have some dignity during the last stretch of their lives (she's a nurse).

I have to agree with you whole-heartedly on this. Their pay seems silly, as do the pay-rates of most in the entertainment industry.

 

[downtown]

Only at the top. Its damn hard making a few bucks otherwise. I about break even, since I have to publish my own CDs, create my own advertising packets, call owners, beg newspapers to print our shedules, etc etc. Without a label, its tough money.

Same with sports I guess....if you arent in the top leagues. Minor leaguers dont get all that much