Should I Pay My Employees A "Living Wage?" 

Imagine if someone called in and said “I paid off my debt, but now my boss wants to pay me less because I’m in a better financial position”

Having been deeply involved in running large teams of workers I can tell you that you should 100% pay your best workers generously. If you don't your hiring costs and training costs will increase to the point where you would be better off paying more to keep your best workers. Ideally the people who work for you have some kind of incentive for performance that increases your profits so they're sharing in the profits they create.

Funny how as soon as Dave starts speaking, the other guy instantly transforms into a bobblehead

You can pay what you want. But don’t expect people to want to work for 7.25 an hour when they can go to Walmart for double that

Wonder what he pays his daughter. I bet the whole budget thing does not apply to her.

Dave needs more people on his team to challenge him.

Ramsey is gaslighting here. Living wages are determined by going rents, gas, food, etc in your area. You paying 3000 a month when average rent is 1500 is not a living wage. You can’t even qualify for that apartment.

So much could be said here, but the simplest thing is this. Have ZERO loyalty to your employer.

I always tell people how crucial it is for everyone to prioritize investing in diverse sources of income that are not reliant on the government and employers. This includes exploring opportunities in stocks, gold, silver, and digital currencies. Despite the challenging economic situation, it remains a favorable time to consider these investments.

Jobs thinking you should break you back for $14 are crazy

My budget is not his business. Dave is a multimillionaire that will get away with the lowest wages he can.

Hearing these talks makes me happy I work for myself

And then he complains that you have all these openings? And wonder why they can't find workers?

If you require human labor to run your business but can’t pay a livable wage for it, then you can’t afford to be in business.

These low-wage-paying folks are usually the same folks complaining about, "Nobody wants to work these days!" 😂

I don’t think your need my personal information as far as budget for a job. I should make the decision whether or not I can live on the salary. That is part of being an adult.

Always love the "what is a living wage?" question. Best way to know the person you're speaking with is either an idiot, or coming at you in bad faith, being purposefully obtuse.

But when businesses struggle finding people because they want to pay minimum wage, then people are entitled, selfish and lazy, right?

I see your point but tbh probably shouldn’t put this opinion on air. Pretty much just admitted to discriminating agains the guy with kids over the one with no kids

I would never want a boss that meddled in my finances.

Dave Ramsey: Men today are so lazy they simply don't want to work Also Dave Ramsey: I should be able to pay you $10/hr if you're single and don't have a family to support

Dave is worth 700 million dollars never forget that when he talks about living wage

4:08 Wait, did Dave say they ask for candidate's budgets during the interview process? WOW......

Dave that’s discrimination based on familial status... yikes

Just....wow.... I have never heard of a company asking for personal information so they can "sit down with you and do your budget" to determine if they are going to hire you. Kudos to the applicant who stood up for her integrity and call this practice for what it is, and that is INAPPROPRIATE. Actually, I have a few more choice words to describe this practice, but then the Ramsey screeners would delete my comment, again, as they so often do.

Wages have been stagnant for DECADES while corporate profits and executive pay skyrockets. That's. A. Problem.

What Dave is saying is he tries to pay as little as possible, but he gives people a budget and health benefits so Jesus is okay with it.

Dave is so lucky they got rid of the dislike button lol

“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” (Matt. 19:24.) Ramsey's net worth is 200 million dollars. You may not be able to pay everyone a livable wage, but you sure don't 'need' 200 million dollars and pay $7.25 federal minimum wage 'because he lives with his parents. Did you ever think that is why he lives with his parents?? There is no excuse to pay at least $15 an hour, when even in Nashville, rentals are over $1000 a month. Best be practicing getting through that needle is all I can say. Yes, I own a business. I pay them $25 an hour. They work hard for me. Love each and everyone of my workers. They are between 16-20 and are AWESOME! Children's entertainment business .

As Christians, I will pay you as little as I can get away with it. But it’s okay because I go to church once a week to absolve me of all the wrong I do during the week.

I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to hire or not hire someone based on if they have a family….

Wow, I wouldn't want my employer to know my budget. Not that I was planning to apply to work at Ramsey solutions but that would be an infringement on my boundaries.

In this segment Dave explains how Unions are needed now in 2022 more than ever. Especially in the businesses that he owns.

If you think 7.25 an hour is remotely fair you’re insane.

Minimum wage is literally a company telling you. I Would pay you lower but I'm forced not to, it's a slap in the face to people who don't know it

That is pretty creepy to ask for someone's budget information before hiring them, then make fun of them for not giving it.

This comment sections' gonna be spicy after a few days

It's not your employer's business what your personal financial situation is.

Always pay competitive wages and slightly above the competition if profits are good.

YES you should pay a living wage!

Dave is such a cheap skate

Happy to say that my employer pays a living wage😁

Mr Ramsey admitting that he doesn’t hire someone for a job because of their family situation sounds like an open invitation for a class action lawsuit.

Just cause you have kids doesn't mean one man deserves to make more money than a man with no kids. Thats crazy talk

Basically Dave admits that he underpays for certain positions depending upon who is in that position. I think everyone who works for this guy should have open and honest discussions about what they earn.

Be very careful applying this practice. Whether or not it makes sense, it may not be legal to use protected class status in making a hiring decision.

You can do what you want but just don’t call yourself a Christian.

Dave just publicly admitted to discrimination. Anyone that wants to sue will have the easiest EEOC lawsuit ever.

Dave is okay giving $2/hr if he can get away with it.

“This job is for high school kids” “Now hiring! 8am-5pm Monday to Friday” “why do we keep getting applicants who need to pay for rent and food”

my thing is jobs that have high expectancies. they want experience on top of college degrees and certs all while paying wages from 1990s 🤦‍♂️ these days anything under 20 is barely enough to live off and they think they doing us a favor by paying 16-18

This video above all shows how insanely out of touch and date Ramsey is with the modern workspace

Jobs should be based on qualifications, not on what's going on in my personal life.

What does being a Christian have to do with treating others how you want to be treated or just treating people fairly?

Dave is an out of touch boomer. He offers up some good advice at times, but he’s also has never faced the challenges todays generation faces, despite what he wants you to think.

I completely agree with the candidates that withdraw their applications. While I think it is an admirable benefit for an employer to be willing to help with budgeting, this should be optional. If I am confident in my ability to live on the salary that is being offered, and I am on top of my own financial situation, then the details of my budget and where I choose to spend my money are none of my employer’s business.

Imagine needing a job. And someone tells you based on your budget your not hirable. So there is no growth after employment? Or when you ask for a raise, Dave says you don’t need it cause I have your budget. I started as line cook and prep cook. Within six months I was promoted.

"The reason for the inappropriate request of the personal information is to protect you from you." - so paternalistic it makes me cringe.

Dave just showed why people have zero loyalty to a job.

Remember when Jesus gave others the shirt off his back and said dont collect worldly possessions while your fellow man is in need? Lol I sure do

I believe that it's illegal to ask an applicant if he's married or has kids, etc. Correct me if I'm wrong.

In texas minimum wage is 7.25 lol I really have zero clue how you could live off that

Not hiring someone because they have to many kids or debt sounds....illegal

Reminds me of some churches that want you to tithe based on what they want to spend

I interview around 30 applicants per week for our vacancies. One of the 1st questions i ask is what do you need in regards to pay. If it’s something we can’t do, no hard feelings..thanks for your time. It’s life.

If you don't pay a living wage, you shouldn't be in business.

A gardener once told me your crop is like people. You chop the rot, retain the fruitful, always fertilize the bountiful.

Dave missed the whole point of the term livable wage.

I heard Ramsey pay is on the lower end so not sure we should listen to his advice.

honestly don’t agree with having more kids = more pay. If we working the same job, and you get paid 90k and I only get paid 35k doing the SAME WORK. that’s completely unfair just because I chose to live a single life

I’d probably walk away from a business that asked me to share my budget info. Just on the grounds of “eh go eff yourself.”

Rich Republicans hate it. When you tell them you’re on welfare or snap. Get a job!!! When minimum wage doesn’t even pay the rent on a crummy one bedroom apartment, ramen noodle food, and gas/insurance for your paid for 12 year old car,,, yes, I guess water and electricity is a luxury. Does anybody have $.35 for the 1994 payphone to call Dave’s show????

Just don’t get upset when people don’t have families anymore.

Dave Ramsey really is full of himself. Requiring a look at someone's personal budget as a condition of employment and the sarcasm directed at the person who got a better offer from another employer. I wouldn't want to work for this guy!

Ah yes a rich guy exploiting poor desperate people, im sure jesus would be preaching this to his followers.

Probably one of the most insane answers I've heard from Dave. He is completely wrong. It's not up to the employer to figure out what a living wage is, it is entirely the duty of the individual to figure that out. If Dave's offering $12 an hour then nobody shows up for an interview. What possible control does employer have rather than to raise wages, go out of business, or never grow? I have never had an employer ask me if what they're offering will work for me or my family lol. That is entirely ludicrous.

He talking about buzz words when he can’t stop saying “as a Christian” as if that means anything. Pay your employees a living wage or risk productivity falling and high employee turnover rates. He talking about people as if he know every employees back story. He don’t know if that 19 year old has to pay his parents medical bills, school or has to pay rent. He sees oohh your 19 you have no overhead. It’s 2023 the cost of everything is insane. Y’all want employees to create “record profits” but don’t want to pay a wage that is equal to the cost of living in your state…. Umm hello the reason people work is for a living!!🤯😈 it’s not just on small businesses either. Large corporations are willfully underpaying their employees just to line their own pockets.

The fact that people in the comment section do not understand Dave’s clear explanation of the term “living wage”, is an indication of the financial illiteracy, that is ruining America.

You get what you pay for. Minimum work for minimum pay

Raising wages doesn't mean raising prices of goods and services. It all depends on your profit margin and how much you want in your pocket. If you're willing to accept a little bit less (meaning you and your business are still earning profits) in order to pay your people more, then go for it. People often go to the extreme ends without considering the middle option.

Is nobody realizing that Dave is saying if you have children and a wife it will count against you for getting a job? So what if his wife works? What if they have paid off their house and low debt and grow their own food? What I am hearing is single men with no families have the best chance of getting a job. 🤦🤦‍♀️ This could be an issue for him because people who applied with him and didn’t get a job could be discriminated because of their family status.

I cant believe this guy! Isnt this illegal to ask personal finance questions in an interview?

WHy is Dave asking for people's budget to work there? I'm pretty sure that is illegal.

Wages should be paid by performance not by their situation. A person has chosen their situation and should be responsible on their own. To say that a person should be paid higher because they don't live with their parents is wrong!!!! People should be paid by the amount of work they do!!!!!!!

This is an open invitation to a class action lawsuit :) Dave pretty much just said "if you have too many kids, if you are divorced and raising a family on your own, if you have an ill family member to take care of, or any non-work related condition that would make it impossible for you to live off of our salary, we don't want you or need you". :) Dave can call Jesus name all he wants, but what he just did is admit publicly to violating antidiscrimination labor laws.... He just settles in June of this year another law suit for discrimination, and he just admitted to committing this crime again. Dave Ramsey did not discover the wheel. Many employers have discriminated workers based on nosey criteria like these for decades. That's why there are laws in place to prevent this from happening. Citing the Bible won't protect him this time 😅

There is an objective living wage, it is a wage that allows human beings to have a decent quality of life (housing, food, education, healthcare) while being able to reproduce, meaning having 2-3 children. If you pay them less that means you are robbing society. That "let someone else pay for workforce sustainably" mindset is a criminal one.

The eternal boomer

Dave is in a bit of an echo chamber. He needs more people on his team that will challenge some of his views.

Let's hear Dave's 1950's take on living wage and how God doesn't want you to have money. I hope Dave's heart surgeon doesn't make a living wage.

No employers should ask for the income of job candidates. Grown adults don’t need their employers protect them from their finances. That’s dumb.

Imagine if Amazon started paying $30+ an hour, they have an abundance of jobs. Everyone else would have to follow along or go out of business.

I would offer a different perspective on wages you are paying. You want, as a business owner, the best workers. You don't get them by paying the lowest wage. When my company hired, we always paid $1-$2 above the prevailing wage for that job. We would get a lot of applications, and could pick the best. Better, they would never leave, so we would always have seasoned people. Taking good care of your people will pay back more.

Dave: You can easily get you a second job part time making $25 an hour Also Dave: …

Remember how ken tells you to be willing to start at the bottom to be in a line of work you love? Dave just told us that those employers are doing you a favor by not hiring you. Ramsey has been a little confusing lately 😓

Dave just stated the entire problem with wages (not the way he meant). Basically he doesn't want to pay living wages - what it takes for a normal adult to survive. He wants to pay teenagers living at home with their parents the MINIMUM because its all upside for them with no expenses. This is why we have the big pushes for child labor, now recently legalized in many states. See how he made this all complicated (you know, that family of 14 down the street). No mention of the poverty line, etc. which is a standardized number. Which is why so many low wage businesses have signs about "no one wants to work", limited hours, or extremely bad service since you get what you pay for.

So Dave admits that kids are expensive finally? He's always said they aren't expensive lol.

I just checked, minimum wage is about to be $12 here in Missouri. I mean if it's your first job and your still living with your parents that's one thing. But one can go to a lot of places now and make $15+. Also with inflation, one needs to make at least $15+ anymore.

I think Dave needs to, for a month... maybe two, live on the budget of someone making 50k a year in a city like Nashville. Find an apartment and car starring with ZERO dollars. That's where many of us started. Yeah, I got the job.... what next?

The definition of living wage is different for me a living wage is the cost for a single adult person to maintain a basic quality of life without any welfare assistance. it's 18 dollars an hour in my area.

What if they can't afford to live off Dave's salary offer but that person is gonna have two jobs 🤔