In our time, “salary” is a generally accepted and unambiguous concept, it is received by the majority of employees: both civil servants and private organizations that are on staff. Only a small proportion of performers, usually with unique and irreplaceable skills/knowledge, receive not wages, but one-time fees, the value of which is not fixed and is negotiated on an individual basis.
Salary
The principle of wages, that is, the payment of money for the work done, existed in one form or another even before our era. Only the types of rewards changed, for example, instead of money, employers could pay with valuable resources and other material benefits. So, in 550-450 BC, in the book of Ezra (סֵפֶר עֶזְרָא) one of the unusual (for our time) payment methods was described: table salt. Its production was completely controlled by the state, and subjects regularly received "salt from the royal court."
Sodium chloride has been one of the most valuable resources for many centuries, and the tradition of paying with salt was widespread in European countries, and mainly in Ancient Rome. Legionnaires were given table salt, the name of which in Latin is written as sal. From this arose the version that the word "soldier" (soldier) comes from the phrase "give salt" (sal dare). In each country, it was called in its own way, but consonant with the main Latin name: in France - salaire, in Spain - salario, and in Britain - salary.
Despite the fact that all legionnaires (as well as many civil servants) in ancient Rome were given table salt, weekly/monthly wages were not common. As a rule, the employee received remuneration on the same day - depending on the time and volume of work. The most common in Europe was hourly, daily and piecework wages, and - up to the XVIII-XIX centuries.
The industrial revolution changed the situation, when large corporations with thousands of employees began to appear. Their pay was standardized, and is still expressed as a wage, a fixed amount that a worker receives per week or per month. In the second half of the 20th century, bonuses, bonuses, allowances and benefits began to be added to the salary as incentives. This system is still being improved, and differs significantly in different private and public companies.
Interesting facts
- The UN Goodwill Ambassadors have the smallest salary in the world. They volunteer for their professional duties and receive only $1 a year.
- The President of Singapore currently earns the highest salary. According to unofficial data, he receives about SGD 1,500,000 a year.
- If we talk about the highest average salary (among the population), then Norway occupies a leading position in the world. Here, the average monthly income is $5,000.
- Demanding an increase in wages is not always a good idea. This was proved by Thomas Edison, who, in response to the demands of his workers, completely replaced their labor with the introduction of new technologies.
- Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, doubled the wages of all employees on the 11th anniversary of his factory.
- Famous Apple owner Steve Jobs was officially paid $1 a year in his position. But this did not stop him from receiving a bonus of $ 70,000,000 from the board of directors every year.
- In Japan, an employee can expect a substantial salary increase if he can do his job while at home. The employer also benefits, who thus saves on equipping and renting office space.
In each country, wages are paid differently: in the form of a fixed amount, with bonuses, allowances, deductions, or without them. The frequency of payments is also different, if in the United States weekly wages are most common, then in the CIS countries it is customary to make payments once a month. But this can be compensated by a bonus system, when the salary is essentially paid 2 times a month: in the form of a bonus, and then in the form of the remaining salary.
