Withholding a workers wages a sin?

[The_Serpent]

"“If any man hath done any work for thee, immediately pay him his hire, and let not the wages of thy hired servant stay with thee at all.” Tobias 4:15

Considering this passage, and current pay practices. Is it a sin to with hold a workers daily wages? Most places in retail pay on a bi-weekly basis.

 

[Jozefo]

"“If any man hath done any work for thee, immediately pay him his hire, and let not the wages of thy hired servant stay with thee at all.” Tobias 4:15

Considering this passage, and current pay practices. Is it a sin to with hold a workers daily wages? Most places in retail pay on a bi-weekly basis.

I think it is, unless the worker agrees. Same with taxes.

 

[Dorothy]

"“If any man hath done any work for thee, immediately pay him his hire, and let not the wages of thy hired servant stay with thee at all.” Tobias 4:15

Considering this passage, and current pay practices. Is it a sin to with hold a workers daily wages? Most places in retail pay on a bi-weekly basis.

In the culture of that particular time it was customary to pay by the day.

 

[Elizium23]

In times recently past it was extremely inefficient to cut a paper check every day and expect the worker to go to the bank daily, or still pile them up and present the bank with a mountain of paper to process.

In the age of direct deposit, those concerns are a thing of the past. Companies routinely benefit by having money in the bank for a few extra days or weeks as it earns interest for them and not the workers. There should be a movement back to daily pay for daily wages.

 

[jmcrae]

"“If any man hath done any work for thee, immediately pay him his hire, and let not the wages of thy hired servant stay with thee at all.” Tobias 4:15

Considering this passage, and current pay practices. Is it a sin to with hold a workers daily wages? Most places in retail pay on a bi-weekly basis.

It would be a sin to withhold wages beyond the term agreed to at the time of hiring.

 

[Tarpeian_Rock]

In times recently past it was extremely inefficient to cut a paper check every day and expect the worker to go to the bank daily, or still pile them up and present the bank with a mountain of paper to process.

In the age of direct deposit, those concerns are a thing of the past. Companies routinely benefit by having money in the bank for a few extra days or weeks as it earns interest for them and not the workers. There should be a movement back to daily pay for daily wages.

The issue isn’t direct deposit. Among other things, just imagine the administrative overhead of recording time and running a payroll cycle EVERY DAY - and the related cost to the employer. Then there is the matter of pro-rating to a daily basis such things as federal, state, local taxes, deductions for insurance, savings plans, 401k, things like that. Daily credit union deductions. Then there is the issue of what benefit actually accrues to the worker of getting paid daily. For most bills, the money would have to sit in the bank for weeks before there was enough to pay mortgages, car payments, credit card bills. And recall that no interest is paid on most checking accounts. Daily or every-other-day trips to the bank or ATM to withdraw small amounts for everyday expenses? Finally, there is the matter of the employer’s cash flow; employer receivables also typically follow a monthly cycle. Where is the employer to get the funds to pay his staff on a daily basis? With the possible exception of migrant farm laborers, the idea of a daily payroll cycle does not appear to make any sense. Not all conventional and widely-accepted business practices are the result of Evil Capitalism or oppressive employers. Recall how many firms employ under 50 or even 25 employees, and how unbelievably impractical, burdensome, and costly such administrative overhead and cash flow issues would be to them.

 

[1ke]

Considering this passage, and current pay practices. Is it a sin to with hold a workers daily wages? Most places in retail pay on a bi-weekly basis.

No.

You understand that the Catholic Church is not a fundamentalist Church in its interpretation of Scripture, right? Not everything in the bible is literal.

 

[The_Serpent]

The issue isn’t direct deposit. Among other things, just imagine the administrative overhead of recording time and running a payroll cycle EVERY DAY - and the related cost to the employer. Then there is the matter of pro-rating to a daily basis such things as federal, state, local taxes, deductions for insurance, savings plans, 401k, things like that. Daily credit union deductions. Then there is the issue of what benefit actually accrues to the worker of getting paid daily. For most bills, the money would have to sit in the bank for weeks before there was enough to pay mortgages, car payments, credit card bills. And recall that no interest is paid on most checking accounts. Daily or every-other-day trips to the bank or ATM to withdraw small amounts for everyday expenses? Finally, there is the matter of the employer’s cash flow; employer receivables also typically follow a monthly cycle. Where is the employer to get the funds to pay his staff on a daily basis? With the possible exception of migrant farm laborers, the idea of a daily payroll cycle does not appear to make any sense. Not all conventional and widely-accepted business practices are the result of Evil Capitalism or oppressive employers. Recall how many firms employ under 50 or even 25 employees, and how unbelievably impractical, burdensome, and costly such administrative overhead and cash flow issues would be to them.

You make good arguments in defense of this practice. Most of the points you make were made by employers in the past when the issue of paying every two weeks occurred. But, if you consider the advances in computerization and connectivity. It seems to me it would be possible to pay at least every week, allowing a week delay when first hired. That was how it was just 25 years ago approximately. Also switching back would employ more people, which is beneficial to the economy in general.

 

[The_Serpent]

No.

You understand that the Catholic Church is not a fundamentalist Church in its interpretation of Scripture, right? Not everything in the bible is literal.

I agree the Church is not “Fundamentalist”;but that is the literal word and meaning of this passage. Of course the circumstances are different today. The Jewish writer Philo taught the same teaching in his writing “On The Virtues.” In section XV he basically states the employer should pay the poor worker his wages daily. Again it is a different culture and time.

 

[Trader]

It would be a sin to withhold wages beyond the term agreed to at the time of hiring.

Would it also be a sin to not pay just debts and bills in the time agreed due to negligence or imprudent spending? We seem to have a whole country in sin.

 

[maryjk]

You make good arguments in defense of this practice. Most of the points you make were made by employers in the past when the issue of paying every two weeks occurred. But, if you consider the advances in computerization and connectivity. It seems to me it would be possible to pay at least every week, allowing a week delay when first hired. That was how it was just 25 years ago approximately. Also switching back would employ more people, which is beneficial to the economy in general.

And some companies do just that. But they don’t employ more people.

My husband is paid every week. It was surprising to us because we have always been paid bi-weekly or semi-monthly. It all depends on the employer.

There was a time when my father was paid once a month. It was great for money management, but bad when it first started.

 

[Trader]

Many workers have an hourly wage rate. Should they be paid at the end of each hour?

Social Security pays me on the second Wednesday of each month. My objection is that the SS System took so much from what would have been a much better retirement plan of my own.

To me this is all non-issue.

 

[jmcrae]

Would it also be a sin to not pay just debts and bills in the time agreed due to negligence or imprudent spending? We seem to have a whole country in sin.

Yes, that’s true. I’m as guilty as anyone, but it is certainly something to work on, along with other faults and failings.

 

[Trader]

"“If any man hath done any work for thee, immediately pay him his hire, and let not the wages of thy hired servant stay with thee at all.” Tobias 4:15

Considering this passage, and current pay practices. Is it a sin to with hold a workers daily wages? Most places in retail pay on a bi-weekly basis.

You need to look back in history to the time of Tobias. Not even the king could buy a week’s groceries and put them in the fridge. While a lot of food products now proudly proclaim themselves to be preservative free, a little mold inhibitor would have saved a lot of lives back then. No one had a dozen cans of Hormel Chili or Spam or Kellogg’s Pop Tarts on hand if he power failed.

People back then lived on the edge of starvation. For the most part, they bought their daily bread daily. They did not have bank accounts or credit cards for emergencies. If they got sick and missed a few days of work they would be in serious trouble.

 

[jmcrae]

You need to look back in history to the time of Tobias. Not even the king could buy a week’s groceries and put them in the fridge. While a lot of food products now proudly proclaim themselves to be preservative free, a little mold inhibitor would have saved a lot of lives back then. No one had a dozen cans of Hormel Chili or Spam or Kellogg’s Pop Tarts on hand if he power failed.

People back then lived on the edge of starvation. For the most part, they bought their daily bread daily. They did not have bank accounts or credit cards for emergencies. If they got sick and missed a few days of work they would be in serious trouble.

Good points.

 

[tafan]

It would be a sin to withhold wages beyond the term agreed to at the time of hiring.

It would certainly be grave matter.