Salary is the periodic remuneration received by a worker.
Salary is the name given to the periodic remuneration that a person receives as compensation for work performed. The etymology of the concept, which refers to the Latin salarĭum , is linked to the use given to salt in ancient times.
During the time of the Roman Empire , salt was a very valuable element since it was essential for the preservation of food through the method known as salting . Given its value, salt was used as a means of payment and even soldiers used to receive their remuneration in salt.
Salary as salary
The salary, therefore, was payment made with salt. Today we understand this term as a synonym for salary : the money that an individual receives for the work they do. The characteristics of the salary are regulated by law through employment contracts .
Although the compensation for work is usually monetary (i.e. money ), the salary may also include other components, such as tickets or bonuses that can be exchanged for food.
Salary is the means of subsistence of an employee.
From minimum to maximum
To avoid abuses by employees , there is the notion of minimum wage , which is a minimum payment per period (month, day or hour) established by law for all workers. This means that, if the minimum monthly wage in a country is 2,000 pesos , no worker can earn less than said sum per month. Otherwise, the employer will be violating the legislation.
In a similar sense, in some regions there is a maximum salary : the maximum pay that a worker is allowed to pay. Typically, the maximum salary is set for public officials.
Salary and workers
During a job interview , it is normal for the potential employer to ask their candidates "how much they want to earn" , and one of the most common mistakes is to respond with how much they can live on, what is the minimum they need to justify their hours. of work . In addition to not being a precise answer, since the question seeks other information, it is an expression of lack of security and respect for one's own ability: although it is not recommended to mention an exaggerated or difficult to achieve figure, it is important to sincerity, so that the interviewer sees that he has in front of him a person who trusts himself, who considers himself valuable .
In addition to this first moment, salary is usually the focus of other "problems" throughout a worker's life. For example, it is one of the main points of comparison between two people, and can lead to fights or envy , situations that are very harmful to the environment of a company . Although the amount an employee earns does not always reflect the quality of their work or the level of knowledge they possess, it can be discouraging for someone to discover that they are not receiving a fair salary compared to that of one of their colleagues.
The increases
On the other hand, after having worked for a company for a while, the time comes to ask for a salary increase , something for which no one is prepared. While some individuals with an impeccable level of self-esteem seem to have no problem standing up to their employer and telling them that it is time to offer them more pay for their work , most spend a lot of time mulling over the situation before taking the plunge. , and others don't even dare to do it.
One of the factors that makes it difficult to ask for a raise is that many employers seem to believe that paying their employees is optional, a gesture of generosity on their part that should be appreciated, as if it were a favor. This is transmitted in everyday dealings, and slowly feeds that feeling of discomfort so typical of this situation.