Update: My friend's small business started paying everyone the same wage, and the vibe totally changed

So my friend runs a little coffee shop in Asheville, and about six months ago, he made a big change. He switched from paying different rates based on job title to paying every single employee, from barista to shift lead, the same flat $18 an hour. I mean, he said he wanted to get rid of the 'us vs. them' feeling between front and back of house. The before and after is pretty wild. Before, there was always some grumbling about who got more hours or why the new person was making less. Now, people just swap tasks way more freely. The person who used to only do register will jump in to help with deep cleaning without being asked, because it's all the same pay. It feels more like a team, but I'm also wondering if it's fair to the people with more skill or who've been there longer. They're doing more complex work for the same money as someone on their first day. Has anyone else seen a place try something like this? How did it work out long term?

3 comments

3 Comments

michaeltorres12d ago

Yeah but come on, is the gossip really that big of a deal, vera_robinson36? People will always find something to talk about. I get wanting a team vibe, but paying the person who knows how to fix the espresso machine the same as the kid who just learned how to steam milk seems off. What's the point of getting better at your job? You're just gonna train the new guy for free while he makes your same wage. Sounds like a quick way for your skilled people to get bored and leave.

vera_robinson3612d ago

That "us vs. them" feeling is so real. My old job had a huge pay gap between departments and the gossip was just toxic.

the_wyatt12d ago

Man, that pay gap gossip is brutal. I saw it at a friend's office where the sales team got these insane quarterly bonuses. The support staff found out and it just killed morale for months. People in accounting would make these little comments every time a sales guy walked by. It wasn't even about the money after a while, it was just this thick air of resentment.