When I got my very first (hourly/minimum wage) job, my management treated all of the hourly, entry-level employees like crap. They monitored whether you were a minute late, how long you were in the bathroom, if you stopped to talk to a coworker, etc. A coworker was fired because her daughter was sick and she had to take off too much time. I felt like a criminal in a prison.
As I moved up in my career and became salaried, this stopped. No one cares if I have to go on a doctor's appointment, leave early, etc. as long as I get the work done. One of the perks is even unlimited time off for salaried personnel only.
I'm a manager now and I would never treat my employees like I was treated, but I definitely hear people talking about how you have to keep subordinates “in line' and I don't get it. They're making half of what you make, why assume they're somehow going to abuse the system when you don't? Why does privilege breed privilege?