A worker on TikTok said that after 15 years at her company, she is being paid $22 per hour—the same amount as a brand-new hire. Many are pointing to this as a reason why workers should not stay loyal to the companies they work for and instead look for new opportunities every so often.
In a video with over 3.8 million views, TikTok user Lilo (@pixielilo) shows herself dancing while the text in the video reads, “employee for 15 years bumped up to $22.00.”
After a moment, the video cuts to another person dancing. The text now reads, “employee for 2 months starting at $22.00.”
@pixielilo need I say more?! #worklife @onmybe_hal_f #workfriend ♬ Pretty Boy Swag – Soulja Boy
While this may be alarming for long-time employees, it is not always a cause for concern. For example, industry professionals claim that a new hire may have a specialized skill set that justifies their higher earnings.
“For new hires with much-needed skills but less work experience, it may be appropriate to start them higher in the position’s pay range rather than paying them at the lower end,” Joanne Sammer wrote for SHRM.
However, this is not always the case.
“A new study by compensation data provider LaborIQ surveyed 20,000 different job titles and found that salaries for new hires are, on average, 7% higher than what current employees earn in similar positions,” Nino Padova wrote in a blog post earlier in the year. “For in-demand jobs in tech and finance, the pay gap can stretch to as much as 20%.”
Furthermore, on average, those who switch jobs see a sizeable pay increase.
“In June, the 12-month moving average of wage gains for those who switched jobs was 3.8%, while those who stayed saw 3.1% growth. In September, the 12-month moving average for job switchers jumped to 4.3%, while gains for job stayers increased slightly to 3.2%,” Carmen Reinicke explained for CNBC.
This may be why many in the comments section of Lilo’s video advocated for switching jobs.
“Best advice I could give anyone (I work in HR) get a new job every 3 years,” advised a commenter. “There is no incentive for loyalty.”
“Recruiters say finding a new job every 3 years is healthy. Unfortunately employers do not reward loyalty,” agreed another.
Other users shared stories similar to Lilo’s.
“My daughter started at my old job and was making a dollar less than my friend who was there 18 years,” claimed a user.
“Yup, I make $18 at my job and my coworker said they made $23 starting out,” recounted a second. “I left.”
One highly-favorited commenter had a reminder for other TikTokers.
“Remember! it’s not that the new hire deserves less, it’s that the one with 15 years deserves even more!!!” they exclaimed.
The Daily Dot reached out to Lilo via TikTok comment.
