Are you what you earn?

salary.com suggests a graphic design specialist with only a high school diploma in a company of 100-500 people based in Washington is making at least 45k a year. http://bit.ly/a8dFGQ

Your justifications for paying people below the poverty line, simply because they should “love what they are doing” is horseshit, Ben, and you ought to know that.

You’re obviously not dumb, just shortsighted, and you obviously have a huge chip on your shoulder. Pulling yourself up by your bootstraps is one thing, but expecting that you will get good employees by paying them half of what they are worth will never attract the type of people you really want. I’m curious, Ben, how many contractors have you gone through?

Anyone with a skill will refuse to work for less than it would take to put a roof over their head, and to expect them to simply take intangibles without a stake in the company is simply horrendous business practices.

The only people willing to do this work for you, with no benefits and little to no compensation are probably starving college kids, and/or dropouts who are still living rent free with mommy. IE, not talent, just warm bodies.

You won’t find many married people who are able to work for you at those wages. If they have a family to feed, even less likely. Ben, if you had paid attention last year, you would have seen studies that show that the happily married tend to be the best employee’s you can get.

Your employees are your greatest resource, Ben. Period, whether you like that fact, or hate it, you still have to live with it.

Married people are healthier… Happily married men, for example, are absent fewer days and stay in their jobs longer. People in good marriages tend to practice healthier lifestyles so they avoid being out sick, too. That means they are less likely to tap expensive health care services. (which you are not offering anyway, from the sound of it). I’ve contracted before, and I never expected benefits. However, I was paid enough so that I could afford to purchase insurance, and still pay my rent, keep the lights on, and food in my mouth. That’s generally the tradeoff when working with contractors. You pay them market value, and you research that very closely for your area, and the specific job skill you are seeking, based on their experience, the quality of their portfolio of work, and any references that might improve their standing.

A little more on married people… Researchers have shown that employees who have good relationship skills… like what is REQUIRED of them to sustain a fulfilling marriage… are among the most productive employees you can have, even when they are exposed to significant stress at work. (and it sounds like there’s a lot of stress about the lolcats offices)

Single people with lots of disposable income tend to be slack-asses. I know. They go out, party and throw their money into the bottle, or even drugs. That means their performance suffers. Studies have shown that happily married peoples performance tends to improve with each year of marriage.

You mentioned in a comment that employees are not like cars, because cars “deteriorate”. Trust me, nothing “deteriorates” faster than an employee who feels as though he isn’t getting paid properly for his work. A person like this is dangerous, because they know enough about your operation to pose a problem for you, if they become disgruntled. They may hold valuable trade secrets and begin leaking bad information about you, or your company, as is happening right now, and which you are feeling the weight of as you attempt to do damage control here.

Something to think about, Ben.

all that being said, I love lolcats. It’s just a shame that my laughter is literally coming at the expense of people living on poverty wages.

I’d like to know where in Seattle you can find a studio apartment for 650, or anywhere, for that matter. Certainly you’ll NEVER find that in the Bay Area, where I live. Also, I’d like to know what you are buying to eat for only 200 for an entire month (sounds like a lot of non-nutritious foods like Ramen, and Macaroni and Cheese, with the occasional can of catfood). Eventually, that sort of diet will catch up to you, and you’ll NEED the insurance benefits to maintain your failing body.

Kelly, your estimates are absurd. No one can afford to live like that, except, as I mentioned, the single people / college kids / slack-off free renters.

Not to mention, will the 118 “extra” money have to go toward paying your light bill? Your internet access and telephone? Will it go toward paying any other bills? Personally, my PG@E bill is 120 bucks a month, and I’m a stickler for keeping unneeded items off, and things not powered up that don’t need to be.