
Discuss HN: Underpaying at Workplace Food Services - throeuhway
I have edited this post to fit HNs terse 2000 char limit.  Edits identified by ellipsis &quot;...&quot;  
Here is a pastebin of the entire submission: https:&#x2F;&#x2F;pastebin.com&#x2F;kD3eDWLa<p>...<p>Companies with workplace service staff...are objectively underpaying their employees and I feel, at this time, this is more due to an ignorance I feel I can absolve than to any intentional act of discrimination.<p>I have been an enthusiastic member of this community for many years now. ...while I make my living by preparing people cups of coffee.<p>I was recently fired from a cafe job...and as such have been looking for work.<p>Of the places I have been interviewing to work ... there has been a consistent issue that I&#x27;ve concluded I am in a good position to address and felt this forum, due its proximity to the people I want to address, would be the best way to encourage a change in behaviour.<p>If one is to look at cafe job listings, in the SF bay area, you will find the average pay is currently around 16$&#x2F;hr. 
Such listings include local cafes as well as workplace food and beverage perks...<p>The discrepancy arises in...service industry pay practice: tipping.<p>I understand the reasoning...to be without tipping.  Part of the recruiting...to further incentivise highly sought after applicants, but regardless...tipping is still unfortunately a significant part of service industry workers&#x27; wage.  Removing the tipping without supplanting those lost wages results in an objective underpaying of your service staff.<p>I thought about the viability to name and shame the companies I interviewed with...<p>Instead, I simply wanted to present this issue to you all, and also to posit a supplemental challenge...:<p>Post a comment below naming your company and list the pay scales you have in place for your varied workplace services workers; if you are uncomfortable revealing this information here I would hope you would...think about why revealing such information makes you uncomfortable.
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timwaagh
by objectively underpaid you mean that you can easily get a better paid job
but are/were staying because you liked the boss so much?

i think usually restaurant/bar/cafe personel paid quite a bit better than
canteen personel because restaurant workers have to be representative, which
excludes about two thirds of the population. canteen workers can be just about
anyone. which means they will hire whoever is cheapest.

i want to tell you to get out of this line of work. i know it is not my place.
i can imagine you even like the work. still, it is not right that somebody
with mathematical inclinations should suffer the fate of a canteen worker.
maybe accept a junior tech position at a cheap outsourcer like the place i
work for (well we are transitioning away from that model but there are lots of
others who will accept just about anyone). pay likely wont be better but you
will feel better about where your life is going and you might get to work in a
low cost of living place. even more, you would get very valuable experience.

~~~
throeuhway
'Objectively' due to employers claiming they are paying the 'on the tin'
industry standard but neglecting a large portion of the paystub wages

I appreciate your encouragement, though it feels a bit backhanded, and I would
encourage you to say the same to all the people who perform services for you

I can say this: it's a hard sell to say paying me for making coffee grants you
rights to my research ;
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17604251](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17604251)

Regardless of the element of me in this issue I still think it is an important
note for the sake of all people, especially the person who landed the job I
interviewed for, and I am in a position to broach the discrepancy

~~~
timwaagh
employers will do anything to look good. words are cheap when they are not
required to be truthful. in retrospect i consider it a positive that my
current employer told me when i interviewed that they dont pay market rates.

most people who perform services for me are already studying to get out
eventually. no need for me to give such unsollicited advice.

as for the research thing i would say you are right, but that is really a
local law matter.

