I have spent very little time as someone else’s employee.
There was one research opportunity in college, where I worked for a professor – and my dad retained a lot of the decision-making power in my early days at Kaser, before I was comfortable handling daily operations on my own. Neither of these circumstances lasted very long. I have never worked in a corporate setting. I have never had someone give me a performance review.
That’s why my Operations Assistant recently had to explain to me how rare it is for a workplace to truly function on merit. In her experience (and, she claims, the experience of many), employees who do the bare minimum – or less – tend to receive the same annual cost-of-living raises as the employees who go above and beyond.
Why bother putting your back into anything under these circumstances?
Kaser does not function this way. Nothing should.
Assuming no previous industry experience, we start our new hires in the $17 – $19 range. This seems like a fair rate for someone who’s learning very basic skills.
At two months, new hires have their first review. If they’ve shown up on time and completed every scheduled shift, they get a bump. It’s that easy.
At six months, new hires have their second review. If they’ve progressed in their skills and maintained good attendance habits, they get another bump. Again, it’s that easy.
At one year, new hires have their third review. If they’ve remained punctual, sought out new learning opportunities, and contributed positively to production and the team’s overall wellbeing, they get another bump.
It just makes sense.
While we’re on the topic of money, it’s worth noting that overtime opportunities abound and are paid at time and a half.
Kaser’s starting wage is just that: a starting wage. It’s the baseline. It’s what we offer before trust is built. It’s meant to be a launching point. It won’t be long before the team members who care outpace the ones who don’t.
