Helpers abroad + Very rich people

[Elegiaque]

At what point does the proverb "You don't get rich by spending money" not apply to you anymore? Seriously, if I had their kind of wealth I would want to be paying those working intimately around me many more times my current salary!!!

Good for the Swiss government to teach them a lesson on stupidity. They're not in Asia anymore!

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm55gzvv1dro

The charge of long hours was also disputed, with one defence lawyer arguing that watching a film with the Hinduja children could not really be classed as work.

Please! No one EVER wants to watch a movie with someone ELSE'S child! I got paid for doing this as an official "babysitter" when I was 20!

But if the BBC thinks this is a "dark" side of Geneva, they better not ever visit Hong Kong.

[MABinPengChau]

At what point does the proverb "You don't get rich by spending money" not apply to you anymore? Seriously, if I had their kind of wealth I would want to be paying those working intimately around me many more times my current salary!!!

Good for the Swiss government to teach them a lesson on stupidity. They're not in Asia anymore!

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm55gzvv1dro




Please! No one EVER wants to watch a movie with someone ELSE'S child! I got paid for doing this as an official "babysitter" when I was 20!

They will get off with paying a huge fine and a huge pile of back wages, the total amount of which will never even be noticed based on their net worth. And they will pay more for the PR firm and the attorneys involved to "rehabilitate" their image and negotiate this deal.

[GentleGeorge]

They will get off with paying a huge fine and a huge pile of back wages, the total amount of which will never even be noticed based on their net worth. And they will pay more for the PR firm and the attorneys involved to "rehabilitate" their image and negotiate this deal.

The trickle-down effect in action

[paddylast]

At what point does the proverb "You don't get rich by spending money" not apply to you anymore? Seriously, if I had their kind of wealth I would want to be paying those working intimately around me many more times my current salary!!!

Good for the Swiss government to teach them a lesson on stupidity. They're not in Asia anymore!

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm55gzvv1dro




Please! No one EVER wants to watch a movie with someone ELSE'S child! I got paid for doing this as an official "babysitter" when I was 20!

But if the BBC thinks this is a "dark" side of Geneva, they better not ever visit Hong Kong.

I don't think paying a helper a 6 digit monthly salary would be a great idea to be honest. I think I'd pay the going rate at the start and treat them like human beings, and gradually reward loyalty and good work.

Regarding the article, I just assume that with so much wealth they are bored af and only some form of depravation (such as having slaves) would make their life interesting. It's not a new thing amongst the 'elite'.

[jayinhongkong]

I've seen this attitude among wealthy Indian families in India: it's culturally expected to try and pay as little as possible for help (and everything else for that matter). This same kind of thing has happened in the US with wealthy Indian families there (I think one was even the Indian consul general or something).

I didn't grow up like that at all, so I tend to discreetly slip underpaid people cash when I'm in India, even if I'm way less wealthy than their employers. It hurts to see people treated like that, especially when it's your OWN PEOPLE. I think it's tied to the caste system, but I'm not an expert by any means.

I was at a fancy private gym in Mumbai several years ago. There was a rule on outdoor shoes inside the gym. The security guard was a nice guy and since I couldn't find shoes my size over there, he told me to take my outdoor shoes off, walk in in my socks. and then put them on like they were indoor-only shoes.

The night I was leaving, I was looking for him. He was asleep on the concrete floor in the stairwell. No mat, no cardboard, nothing. Just laid out asleep under the harsh fluorescent lighting. I put a large amount of money in his shirt pocket, but figured I'd better wake him up before someone took it from him. He was very grateful but looked utterly exhausted.

It's common for help to come work in the cities from the rural areas and they never get a day off. They go home when they can (once every few years maybe). Until then, they work every day for very little money. They often have large families to support and significant debts.

EDIT: yep I remembered correctly.

https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE75K65L/

[GentleGeorge]

I've seen this attitude among wealthy Indian families in India: it's culturally expected to try and pay as little as possible for help (and everything else for that matter). This same kind of thing has happened in the US with wealthy Indian families there (I think one was even the Indian consul general or something).

I didn't grow up like that at all, so I tend to discreetly slip underpaid people cash when I'm in India, even if I'm way less wealthy than their employers. It hurts to see people treated like that, especially when it's your OWN PEOPLE. I think it's tied to the caste system, but I'm not an expert by any means.

I was at a fancy private gym in Mumbai several years ago. There was a rule on outdoor shoes inside the gym. The security guard was a nice guy and since I couldn't find shoes my size over there, he told me to take my outdoor shoes off, walk in in my socks. and then put them on like they were indoor-only shoes.

The night I was leaving, I was looking for him. He was asleep on the concrete floor in the stairwell. No mat, no cardboard, nothing. Just laid out asleep under the harsh fluorescent lighting. I put a large amount of money in his shirt pocket, but figured I'd better wake him up before someone took it from him. He was very grateful but looked utterly exhausted.

It's common for help to come work in the cities from the rural areas and they never get a day off. They go home when they can (once every few years maybe). Until then, they work every day for very little money. They often have large families to support and significant debts.

EDIT: yep I remembered correctly.

https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE75K65L/

I think we are discovering now why China has so wildly overtaken India

[jayinhongkong]

I think we are discovering now why China has so wildly overtaken India

Plenty of exploitation in China too, but not to this extent I don't think. Well, I can think of an example, but I'll hold back because of the current political situation and that. China does have 3x the land mass as well, which doesn't hurt :P

I'll add that the people who treat their help like this are really hospitable. Incredibly so. And often very educated and intelligent. It's just par for course there. Drives me to tears every time I'm over there. I come back realizing how good I have it.

[PLamHK]

I think it's a product of the caste system. Mrs Lam is of Indian descent, and she treats Indonesian and Filipino helpers here very decently indeed. But if she comes across an Indian helper here, or when she is back in India, she treats them like utter dirt. Which is rather distressing.

[Shiojiri Hiro]

just to add - plenty of historical evidence of chinese treating our own people terribly.... selling our own people to the US to build the railroads comes quickly to mind

[moctapxe]

just to add - plenty of historical evidence of chinese treating our own people terribly.... selling our own people to the US to build the railroads comes quickly to mind

I don't think the Chinese were sold to build the American railroads. They went there on there on their own freewill. One can tell how the government is doing by looking at how many of the people immigrated elsewhere, and Chinese can be found all over the world, which tells you above the government. When the country is strong, people don't want to leave. Just look at the Japanese.