Growing up, many of us were told that if we didn’t work hard in school, we’d end up flipping burgers later in life. And even in recent years, when service employees complain about low wages , the most common response they’d hear would be to “just” quit and get a better job.
But at the same time, those employees will also hear that they should be happy with whatever their bosses are willing to pay them. And we’re hearing this a lot more now that so many of these employees are actually quitting en masse in the search for jobs they find worth doing.
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And as those employees grow in number, they’re becoming more aware that this contradictory advice only confirms that if you don’t stand up for what you’re worth, you’re not likely to see many others who will.
But of all the people that one mom could learn that lesson from, she didn’t expect it to be her teenage daughter.
Ever since she was a child, one 19-year-old has really enjoyed going to one particular store.
Note that her mom didn’t specify what this store was in her Reddit post , but it was a place that this young woman really wanted to work at once there was an opening.
However, that attitude changed after she sat in for a second interview with the owner and learned that she would be paid $9 per hour if she accepted the position.
And while she reportedly broached this matter politely, she told the owner that she wouldn’t be able to feed herself with that salary.
Contrary to what some might expect, this person seemed to take this well and acknowledged that it wasn’t a living wage before apologizing that they couldn’t offer more.
And while she seemed to understand, this rate led the teen to decline the position.
Although the mom didn’t have any criticism for how her daughter handled this situation, she was nonetheless surprised but what she heard.
In her words, “I realized the reason I was so surprised wasn’t just because my daughter is generally a bit shy and always non confrontational, but because this goes against the societal norms I grew up with.”
The mom said that she’s 41 and when she was her daughter’s age, she would’ve taken any pay to work at her favorite store.
But she went on to say that this mentality likely didn’t do her any favors during those days, and arguably hasn’t since either.
As she put it, “And I would’ve been grateful for the opportunity for them to take full advantage of me. I would’ve never had the confidence to stand up to an older adult in a position of power like that.”
So the fact that her daughter didn’t go down that road made her proud because at 19, she already knows her worth and won’t accept anything less.
Not only did this make her wish she negotiated for more at her current job, but it made her realize that the more people do this, the harder it will be for employers to get away with paying less than a living wage.
As she said, “Most people think that you teach your kids, but really the learning goes both ways. And it never stops.”
For the most part, the folks on Reddit’s r/antiwork community applauded the young woman’s ability to look out for herself, which isn’t too surprising given the name.
However, what is surprising is that even there, there was no shortage of people saying that $9 an hour was better than nothing and that the daughter was acting entitled for not taking it.
To this end, they cited her supposed lack of experience.
However, the mom replied in an update that these statements were based more on their assumptions about her daughter than on the reality of her situation.
After all, the daughter already makes $1.50 more per hour than that job would have paid and she does have the retail experience and skills to back up the salary she’s looking for.
And as the mom went on to say, “That kind of mentality that we should take anything we’re offered is what got us into this [expletive] mess.”
h/t: Reddit | soil_witch
