I was standing outside my company's HR office, waiting for my supervisor when I overheard a conversation that really put a fine point on the title of this post.
HR Rep. 1: …they were saying that the teachers need a comfortable retirement. But you know what? That's not my problem. If the teachers didn't prepare for retirement, it's not my job to fix it.
HR Rep. 2: Tch, right? Oh, you know what's even more ridiculous? This one guy asked for an insane amount of money. He wants a 50% raise! Can you believe it?
HR Rep. 1: What? How much does he want?
HR Rep. 2: He was making 29k, and now he wants 60k. [scoffs] I still can't believe he asked for that. There's no way we're giving him 60k.
HR Rep. 1: Jesus… What is wrong with these people?
HR Rep. 2: I don't know, man.
My supervisor finally arrived, and I fucking skedaddled after him. I was still trying to process what I'd just heard. To break it down, we've got:
- Treating teachers like they're stupid because they earn too little to save for retirement. I'm sure teachers' lack of retirement savings has absolutely nothing to do with low income, inflation, and having to pay for their own classroom supplies with their low salaries. Not to mention the stress of dealing with horribly behaved children and their entitled parents. Being constantly exposed to all manner of sickness, including COVID-19; being policed by parents who want to control what's taught in the classroom; getting screamed at by parents because “their little angel” can do no wrong… Yeah, those dumb teachers don't deserve a cushy retirement. They already have it way too good! /s
- Laughing at and dismissing some poor dude who's just trying to make what barely constitutes a living wage. (60k is okayish for a single person where I live, with some caveats, but I would worry about anyone trying to support a family on that.)
Apparently making enough money to live comfortably is a joke. I guess it's easy to laugh at others when you're in a position of power.
I think it's worth repeating one more time: HR works for the company. They act in the company's best interest. You as a worker are considered disposable and replaceable.