Hazard Pay. Why Hazard Pay Should Be Paid to Essential Workers. Now and Permanently. Why it should be permanent. A blogger’s humble thoughts on HP.

The internet and technology, such as self checkouts, have eliminated the need for employees to be at an office or physical location.

Therefore, hazard pay should be paid if you are forced to work in the current Coronavirus conditions.

And anyone required to leave their house for an employer should permanently receive hazard pay.

This is just one blogger’s opinion, though. I am not a health expert or economist by any means.

Preface – this is just wishful thinking

This is a concept post about hazard pay without figuring out the numbers.

This philosophy is based on employers adopting a work from home option in the future, and it is based on essential employees working during the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Related post: The Silver Lining of Coronavirus

Hazard Pay – What is it?

Here is the United Nation’s definition of hazard pay:

“Hazard pay is a form of compensation granted to staff members who have been requested to remain and report for work in duty stations where very hazardous conditions.” (Source: United Nations)

In other words, hazard pay is additional income in exchange for an employee working in an unsafe environment.

Why should Hazard Pay be Permanent?

In short, hazard pay should be permanent to compensate for less safe working conditions, for commuting, and because it’s fair.

Just like the war was the beginning of taxes, Coronavirus could be the beginning of hazard pay.

In 1917, as a temporary measure to help finance the war, the federal government introduced the Income Tax War Act, covering both personal and corporate income.

“I have placed no time limit upon this measure . . . a year or two after the war is over, the measure should be reviewed,” stated Sir Thomas White, Minister of Finance.” (Source: canada.ca)

Despite Sir Thomas White’s initial estimate on the duration of taxation, income tax has never stopped.

Hazard pay must be implemented forever in the same way that taxes were never eliminated.

Here is why:

Technology Exists

Employer’s have a responsibility to keep their staff safe.

If that’s the case, and if it’s possible to work from home, isn’t it the employer’s responsibility to allow workers to work from home?

Practically all jobs and tasks can be completed from home now. In fact, jobs only require a computer with access to the internet. As such, it is pointless to force employees into a potentially dangerous commute.

This change could avoid car accidents and germs from the commute. General sickness from the office. Sharing of computer equipment. Health issues related to lack of sleep. Anxiety related health issues from the office. Work related accidents and incidents and more.

Additionally, a work from home employee will not be mugged, attacked by an animal, nor will they trip or fall or become injured.

Less Commuting is great for the environment

There have been a few memes going around about how the media should focus on global warming with the same intensity they have focussed on Covid-19 with.

If that was the case, employers would have been incentivized to offer work from home much sooner.

Not only would less commuting be beneficial for the environment, it would be more cost effective for companies as well.

Hazard Pay is Motivation for Employees in Challenging Times

We’re all impacted by Coronavirus.

Related Post: Coronavirus: Future Predictions on how it will change the world forever

And since we are all human, essential workers might resent being forced to work while everyone else gets paid $2,000 per month.

As such, since we need essential workers for groceries, we should provide hazard pay to compensate them for the stress they are likely experiencing.

We all feel it when we’re at the grocery store. We are all scared when someone else coughs or sneezes right now. Many essential workers have no choice but to cope with that stress.

The least we can do is offer hazard pay to help alleviate stress and offer an extra motivation to go to work.

Appreciation is better than forcing them to work like they’re puppets on a string.

Essential Jobs will be Society’s highest paid through Hazard Pay

Unfortunately, this crisis may have exposed a few problems in our current system: healthcare problems and pay scale problems.

I mean, how does it make sense that the lowest paid workers are the ones supporting society right now?

Does capitalism need them to be poor for the system to function? Has this crisis exposed capitalism?

Ok, I’ll stop questioning capitalism, because as a dividend investor and blogger, I benefit from it.

But I am suggesting that our essential workers should be paid well.

Food workers and essential services could be paid and treated like police officers and nurses. Food handlers should be paid enough to be worthy of handling it. If your job puts your life at risk, it is more valuable than a job that doesn’t.

Concluding Thoughts

The Government of Ontario recently declared a state of emergency. They ordered all non-essential businesses to shut down.

They recommended citizens not to gather in groups of more than 5, which sounds fairly serious. If the government is suggesting that it’s dangerous to be out in a group of 5 or more, the least we can do is offer hazard pay to our essential workers.

But in my opinion, hazard pay should be paid to our most essential workers even after we overcome Covid-19. The essential workers deserve it, and the non essential workers deserve to work from the comfort of their own homes.

I am not a licensed investment or tax adviser. All opinions are my own. This post contains advertisements by Google Adsense. This post also contains internal links, affiliate links, links to external sites, and links to RTC social media accounts.

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