Have you ever resumed a new job only to discover that you would be earning less than you expected? A TikTok user who had a similar experience has voiced her discovery creatively.
According to the Tiktok user, Lae (@iamlae2u) she was promised a starting salary of $22.50 for the job. However, during orientation, she found out that she had been deceived. Her salary was going to be $15.50 instead.
She shared her experience with her Tiktok audience in a video that showed her dressed in a white security uniform. The 10-second video whose on-screen caption read “Pov: when a job says starting pay is $22.50, but at orientation, it say $15.50,” soon became a hit. The video has attracted more than 680,000 views.
In the video, the Atlanta-area Tiktok user held a brochure which she appeared to read from. In the background, Rylo Rodriguez’s “Equal Dirt” music played. After a while, she pointed to a section of the brochure as she lip-synced with a part of the song that said “B*tch, who this for?”
The statement “Who this for?” from the song has been the trending subject of several Tiktok videos under the hashtag #whothisfa???? One such video showed a dog sniffing a shirt on the floor with an on-screen caption that read “When my dog smells another dog on my clothes.” Another caption read “POV: A customer sends you a complaint about a bracelet that didn’t come from you.”
Many of her viewers sympathized with her in the comments. Some also shared their similar experiences. One comment read “I lost interest in a job that did the same.” Another user commented with a quote that read “‘Every site pays different,'” which seemed like the words of an employer trying to explain the discrepancy.
Some claimed that the company’s action was illegal while others advised that she drew the management’s attention to the issue. Part of a comment read “This happened to me,” before asserting, “If you show them proof they have to change your payrate.”
Interestingly, many state employment laws don’t compel employers to stick with the pay rates they have advertised before hiring a staff. That’s because job advertisements aren’t considered binding offers. Many employers have taken advantage of this opportunity to shift the pay rate goalpost and deceive new hires.
One of the arguments put forward in support of the law’s silence on the matter is that employers may need to adjust their pay rates in some situations. One of these is if the applicant’s experience level doesn’t match the employer’s expectations.
Thankfully, there has been a wave of salary transparency laws across the country. Some states such as Colorado, New Jersey, New York, and California, mandate employers to specify the salary range for vacant positions in their ads.
In some cities, organizations are mandated to disclose their pay rates at the request of the prospective employee. Hopefully, more states will join the train.
