My silly idea again: earn your age

[Mation]

Ok, I did a thread about this before with a certain lack of commitment to arguing But, having thought about it more i'm not yet persuaded that it's bad idea - just a (as far as i know) new one.

So!

Everyone gets paid their age. Assume £1000 for every year of your life.

Whatever job you do, you get paid your age. If you're a 37 year old plumber, you get £37000 a year. If you're a 37 year old hedge fund manager (if we let you live) you get £37000 a year. If you're a 37 year old any job at all, you get £37000 a year.

If you're 16 and doing any job, you get £16000 a year.

If you're 60, I'm sure you can work out that you'd get £60000 a year.

You don't get the money just for being your age. You get your job on merit/via interview etc. if you can't do it, you lose it (after all reasonable measures to help you - but not discussing benefits here).

Any objections?

(Last time I think butchers asked me if this would be under capitalism, and my answer is I hope not, but am not sure whether the answer could be yes, so i'd appreciate any comment on that.)

 

[Orang Utan]

yes, i could do with £37K a year just for being me

 

[weltweit]

The older I get, the more I like your idea..

Only thing is it would become virtually impossible to ever earn £100k .. which might have been nice for some

 

[Mation]

and able to do your job, don't forget

 

[Belushi]

It would take the sting out of getting older.

 

[Mation]

Only thing is it would become virtually impossible to ever earn £100k .. which might have been nice for some

Is that a problem?

 

[weltweit]

Is that a problem?

Well I have never interviewed for a £100k job, but I know a couple of people who have.

 

[quimcunx]

and able to do your job, don't forget

But then why would people go for the extra responsibility that comes with promotion when they can easily do a piss easy job for £37k?

 

[5t3IIa]

What are the jobs? I mean - would someone, I assume you f234 , pick a job out of some range that is accepted (by whom?) to be worth that salary and then I would get to pick which one I'd go for?

 

[trashpony]

I like the idea in principle but in reality it would be unworkable. Some people have jobs which are really physical and they aren't able to do those beyond a certain age. So if they started a new career doing something less physical at the age of say 40, then they'd be getting paid 1/3 more than someone who had been doing that job for 10 years which would cause huge resentment. And isn't it an argument for making old people retire before they really want to?

 

[5t3IIa]

But then why would people go for the extra responsibility that comes with promotion when they can easily do a piss easy job for £37k?

Do the jobs get harder every year, in line with the 'raise'?

I mean - you could be breaking rocks for £3?k this year then breaking more rocks for £3?+1k the next.

 

[Mation]

But then why would people go for the extra responsibility that comes with promotion when they can easily do a piss easy job for £37k?

Some people like working/want to be challenged/to do what they're good at/ to do what they enjoy

 

[Mation]

I like the idea in principle but in reality it would be unworkable. Some people have jobs which are really physical and they aren't able to do those beyond a certain age. So if they started a new career doing something less physical at the age of say 40, then they'd be getting paid 1/3 more than someone who had been doing that job for 10 years which would cause huge resentment. And isn't it an argument for making old people retire before they really want to?

Would it cause resentment if this was a universal system and that young person knew their own wage would necessarily go up?

And why the retirement thing?

 

[quimcunx]

Some people like working/want to be challenged/to do what they're good at/ to do what they enjoy

Some, but enough? And why leave doing what you enjoy to become a pen pushing manager of other people doing what you enjoy?

 

[Mation]

Do the jobs get harder every year, in line with the 'raise'?

I mean - you could be breaking rocks for £3?k this year then breaking more rocks for £3?+1k the next.

Nope. You might take on more responsibility if you've been there a while and know what you're doing, but it wouldn't be linked to your wage.

 

[mrsfran]

Do you get paid while you're studying? What incentive would there be to spend 7 years studying medicine, for example?

 

[Mation]

Some, but enough? And why leave doing what you enjoy to become a pen pushing manager of other people doing what you enjoy?

Who says you'd have to become a pen pushing manager??

 

[5t3IIa]

Nope. You might take on more responsibility if you've been there a while and know what you're doing, but it wouldn't be linked to your wage.

Don't forget q in post #9

 

[spanglechick]

But then why would people go for the extra responsibility that comes with promotion when they can easily do a piss easy job for £37k?

Some people like working/want to be challenged/to do what they're good at/ to do what they enjoy

I'd do something very different like work in a bookshop if i could get the same money for it. I certainly wouldn't be a head of dept if i stayed in teaching, and i can't think of anyone else who would. in some jobs, money is the only thing that motivates people to take on all the pressure and the stress and the long, long hours that come with promotion.

 

[sheothebudworths]

You don't get the money just for being your age. You get your job on merit/via interview etc. if you can't do it, you lose it (after all reasonable measures to help you - but not discussing benefits here).

Any objections?

What if you're really, really shit at interviews?

 

[trashpony]

Would it cause resentment if this was a universal system and that young person knew their own wage would necessarily go up?

And why the retirement thing?

Yes I think it would. I think if people had to train an inexperienced person who was 20 years older than them but getting double their wage, I think they'd be pretty pissed off.

And the retirement thing is because no employers would want to keep people on when they're old. And a lot of older people currently work in part time jobs in shops. I can't see any company being willing to hire them if they had to pay them 65k pro rata

 

[quimcunx]

Who says you'd have to become a pen pushing manager??

Well you haven't set out an alternative to the jobs that are currently available. Some people want promotion for the challenge etc but some people only want promotion because it is the only way they can advance their wage. That incentive is no longer there. You're not going to get paid any more for having to go in front of the cameras and explain why you are poisoning the sea with crude oil than you were when you were doing the bit you enjoyed.

My question is would there be enough people wanting to take on extra responsibility/leave the job they liked for a job managing people doing the job they liked to fill the management positions?

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Why should you get paid more the older you are?

 

[5t3IIa]

What happens to everyone who doesn't get their age-wage on merit? What if I interviewed for a £3?k job and didn't get it. Does that mean I can get a £22k one instead or what?

 

[weltweit]

Why should you get paid more the older you are?

Well, in many jobs, older people have more experience so they make fewer mistakes.

 

[FridgeMagnet]

Well, in many jobs, older people have more experience so they make fewer mistakes.

Well, so what? Not that it's necessarily true or a reason to pay people more anyway, but why not pay people more if they make fewer mistakes then?

 

[Y_I_Otter]

Mercy! That means I'd be paid $120,000CDN+ per annum for being a dirt farmer!? Why, that would give my partner and me a combined household income of twice that! Where do we sign up?

 

[5t3IIa]

Well, in many jobs, older people have more experience so they make fewer mistakes.

The OP hasn't said anything about doing the same job for a long time.

 

[weepiper]

But then you have a situation where a 22 year old could be earning half what his 44 year old colleague does for performing exactly the same job. And maybe even doing it better. Not workable or fair.

 

[weltweit]

There are some organisations that seem to revere youth for its energy and others seem to revere age for its experience.

I am not sure there are any stats to suggest one is better than another. Not that I have seen anyhow.