In Praise Of Entry Level Jobs
I was once listening to a radio talk program, and the host declared that the minimum wage is supposed to spur you on to get promoted and get a better job.
But…why?
I don’t mean why the minimum wage was supposed to work the way he claimed. I mean something more basic. Why did he assume that the center of our ambitions had to be around a job? Why should we be forced to move up the corporate ladder if we are working a job we like? Or if our idea of a good life just doesn’t include a particular type of job?
That is something that we have all had to face with the Pandemic of late. In essence, many people in America are getting a minimum income, and it has given folks a chance to evaluate just how important their job is to them.
It has also given everyone some time to evaluate the importance of entry level jobs and I, for one, think that entry level jobs have been devalued for too long.
Make-work vs Meaningful Work
There are jobs that aren’t strictly necessary. They at least feel like they don’t make any contribution to a greater purpose and that the job could disappear without effecting the world in any way. It is demoralizing to feel that way.
Entry level jobs are the ones most likely to feel constructive. Actually making the sandwiches, loading the truck, and ringing customers up have obvious effects. Just because the effects aren’t huge, doesn’t mean they aren’t important or meaningful. Many of these jobs were declared essential in the past year because of how necessary they were, and people felt like they were making a contribution when doing them.
Areas of Ambition
There is more to life than earning. A lot of people stay at entry-level jobs because they pay enough to let them achieve some other goal they value.
And I don’t see any point in punishing folks for having other goals. How is volunteering for a charity, taking care of your sickly relative, writing your novel, or any other goal less valuable than getting a promotion to a position you aren’t suited for?
Everyone’s Life Is Different
People sometimes need jobs that don’t take up all their time and energy. Maybe you have a condition that makes it better to work part time. Maybe other stuff is going on in your life that you need to prioritize. Entry level jobs might give you the flexibility you need, and I don’t see any virtue in pretending otherwise.
Churning Employees At The Bottom Hurts Businesses
It takes time and money to train a person even at an entry level position, and losing someone can cost over $3500. The standard rule of thumb is that it costs 1.25 to 1.4 times whatever a person’s salary is to hire someone, and if you have a 300% turnover rate at the bottom rung the way some places do, you are losing a lot of money.
But even if you take money out of the equation, a business owner loses more intangible assets when they lose an employee who has been at an entry level post for years. They lose institutional memory. The person who knows the little hacks to make the register work when it acts up, how to use the old tools when the new ones need to be refurbished, can size up the new manager…that person is a boon to everyone.
Who will teach these tricks to the newbies? Who will cheer people by putting our current problems perspective? Who will be the welcoming face of the warehouse? The person who has opted to stay at an entry level position for a while.
In short, everyone quit whining about how anyone who decides to stay in an entry level job is lazy. They are giving an essential service, and whiny judging does not.