Why We Need to End Tipping Culture

Why We Need to End Tipping Culture

When you become an expat and choose to live abroad, you begin to question certain cultural norms. Growing up in America, tipping is an ingrained custom that is often questioned by outsiders.  In fact, some cultures consider tipping offensive. It implies that you assume the server doesn’t earn enough to support themselves. However, for American servers, this is a reality. Since restaurants can pay their staff below minimum wage, servers depend on their customers to supplement their income. Unfortunately, this leaves people in a vulnerable position and susceptible to discriminatory practices. Here are just a few reasons why we need to end tipping culture in America.

Working for Less than Minimum Wage

As a former server, let me tell you what it’s like to work for less than minimum wage. In my state, the minimum wage is $9.00 an hour. But, restaurants only pay you $2.13 an hour. Because we rely on tipping culture, they expect your tips to cover the difference between the actual minimum wage and the pittance they pay you.

In most cases, servers and front house staff will usually make much more than this because of tips. When I worked as a server and bartender, there were some nights I would walk out with over $200 from a six hour shift. Other nights, I would have to work doubles and maintain grueling hours just to break the minimum wage threshold. It depended on several factors such as the kind of restaurant, day of the week, major events in the city, and your customers. With this kind of inconsistency, it made it difficult to budget, and some months, to pay the bills.

Tipping Culture Undercuts Livable and Fair Wages

Although we typically associate tipping culture with the restaurant and food service industry, it has become expected for nearly every service imaginable. Not only do we tip wait staff, but also our hair dressers, taxi drivers, baby sitters, dog walkers, landscapers, and doormen, just to name a few. Tipping no longer reflects the quality of service. Instead, it shows that employers place the burden on their customers rather than pay their staff fair wages.

Standard tipping culture requires 15-20% gratuity. However, the amount servers earn is completely subjective to the customer’s mood. So, if you are serving someone who already has a bias toward you, it will negatively impact your livelihood. Since those in the service industry must rely on tips, it leaves them more vulnerable to discrimination and harassment. Unfortunately, we are still facing biases based on race, sex, age, and other social factors.

When their salaries depend on compensation from customers, it can facilitate an environment where serving staff must choose between their ethics and their paychecks. I can recall dozens of times in which I was told to ‘brush off’ unwanted advances or else be punished by not receiving a tip. Asking someone to violate their principles shows how little we value them as people or care how it affects them personally or financially. Every human being deserves to be treated with dignity. And that begins by paying them fair wages.

End Tipping Culture to Hold Employers Accountable

Recently, there has been some momentum to end tipping culture. Spurred on by restaurants like Joe’s Crab Shack, some eateries have attempted to eliminate it by automatically including gratuity and service fees. However, tipping is deeply ingrained in the American mindset. People would rather put that extra dollar towards a tip than increased menu prices. In fact, they abandoned this model and returned to tipping because their online ratings dropped. Even though the final cost for their meal was approximately the same, people feel they have more control if they can determine how much they leave for their servers.

While tips have been enough to sustain servers in the past, COVID-19 has revealed several fatal flaws in the system. It has impacted food service workers more than any other industry because people stopped dining in and leaving tips. In some areas of the country, foot traffic is down 60% which in turn directly affects food service workers’ ability to support themselves. Although they are still required to perform the same work, their primary source of income no longer sees the need to leave a tip unless there is a face-to-face interaction.

Instead of complaining that people should return to work and be happy to receive any wages, it is time to hold employers accountable to their staff. If the restaurant and bar industry want to see their workers return, they need some guarantee that they will receive a steady salary to cover their cost of living.

Adopting More Sustainable Models

A few states, like California and Washington have already eliminated tip credit. But, many restaurants that tried to transition away from tipping culture have reverted back to this model. Since it is a cultural norm that doesn’t appear to be going away, we need to normalize sustainable models that ensure livable wages.

Some restaurants have implemented new models that show promise. First, restaurants could offer the best of both worlds. They could pay servers full minimum wage with tips on top. Another option is to keep menu prices the same, but include an automatic and separate service charge for their staff. One of the most progressive models I came across was a salary based on sales. Servers earn a percentage of individual sales and kitchen staff earned a percentage of the total shift sales. Owners who adopted this pay scale said their employees were more incentivized to provide better and faster service. Since the idea is based on the fact that if you sell more, then you can earn more, everyone is more motivated to work more efficiently. Finally, the federal and state governments could offer tax breaks or incentives to business owners who adopt no-tipping models.

If we want to change the public’s perception of tipping, we need to have everyone on board. It starts by having a reason for people to change. Because at the end of the day, the high earning days can’t justify the lows. Everyone deserves the ability to make a fair and steady wage. But, there will never be change until people see that the system is broken and demand better.

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Lifestyle Changes That Can Save You Big Money

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that the coronavirus pandemic caused an undue amount of harm to the nation’s economy. Many businesses lost millions of dollars as operations were shut down or altered. States jumped in to provide financial assistance to residents in need, leaving their resources all but tapped out. As a result, hard-hit industries have no choice but to raise prices to recover some of the damage.

You’re already hanging on by a thread. Now, you’re expected to sustain a decent life with higher prices and a limited budget. Though there’s nothing you can do about inflation or the economy, you can make things easier to afford. By identifying and correcting poor lifestyle habits, you can reduce financial waste and add to your budget. Continue reading for suggestions.

Go Green

Eco-friendliness is vital to the environment. It’s also a beneficial practice for your health and budget. You’d think that with so many advantages that there would be more people living more green lifestyles. Unfortunately, that’s not the case, as most people are stuck in their ways. They consume more natural resources than they need and generate a lot of waste despite the adverse effects.

If you want to see more money in your budget, switching to green or eco-friendly practices can make a difference. Simple energy and water reduction methods like turning off lights when they’re not used or taking shorter showers can lower your utility bills. Starting a garden reduces your grocery bills and ensures that you’re eating the freshest ingredients possible for an improved quality of life.

The list of waste reduction tips is extensive. So, evaluate your daily habits and assess which methods work best for your lifestyle and budget.

Take Care Of Your Health

Most people are aware of the benefits of diet, exercise, and other healthy habits are to their well-being. However, not everyone understands its significance to your finances. When you don’t invest in your physical and emotional health, it increases your risk of serious medical problems. These problems ultimately lead to you paying more for health insurance, co-pays, treatments, and prescriptions.

If taking charge of your health to sustain a better quality of life isn’t enough to convince you to change your ways, perhaps the prospect of saving hundreds of dollars each year can. Incorporate healthier eating and regular physical activity into your schedule.

You should also ensure that you maintain medical appointments for preventative care and treatment. Whether it’s getting a physical and lab work from your primary care physician or cleanings and x-rays with a dentist Lake Zurich (or wherever you live), these appointments help keep your physical and mental health intact. The same is true for people with existing medical conditions. Keeping your appointments and following the expert’s advice makes your condition more manageable and, therefore, more affordable.

Live Below Your Means

Though low salaries and high cost of living make it challenging to save money and manage your finances, habits like overspending also come into play. Society has led many people to believe that it is better to go broke on things you essentially don’t need, despite the consequences. So, consumers dig themselves into significant debt, buying everything from the latest technology to elaborate homes and cars they can’t afford. Although it feels good in the moment, when the debt catches up to you, it’s another story.

If you want to find more savings in your budget every month, you have to get serious about living below your means. While it may seem like a restrictive and unpleasant lifestyle at first, you’ll come to learn it’s an enhancement. You’ll reduce a lot of financial waste, have more money for the things you need, and ultimately learn ways to do something you enjoy without breaking the bank.

Restoring the economy after the pandemic is going to be an uphill battle for everyone. The best way to deal with this reality is to start making lifestyle changes like those listed above. By simply going green, taking better care of your health, and living below your means, you can increase the amount of money you have to put towards living a less stressful and happy life.

Things To Know Before Contesting a Will

Things to Know Before Contesting a Will

The loss of a loved one is an emotional and difficult time. Unfortunately, it can become even more overwhelming when a person’s last will and testament comes to light. If survivors feel that the allocation or assets does not reflect the deceased’s final wishes, there may be grounds for contesting a will. However, it can take a heavy emotional and financial toll. Here are a few things you should know before you spend time and money trying to challenge it.

How Do You Contest a Will?

You cannot contest a will simply because you do not like or agree with what it says. Before you can contest it, you need legal standing and be able to prove that the will is invalid. Only an heir or a named beneficiary can challenge it.

Although, anyone can review the terms if you believe there has been a mistake. Start by obtaining a copy of the document. The executor should be able to provide a copy of the current will and all previous versions that exist. Compare the documents and look for significant changes. You can check the complete list of assets to ensure nothing was overlooked as well. However, if the executor has not done due diligence, you can request a copy of the existing documents from the probate court.

If you are still suspicious after reviewing everything, discuss your situation with an attorney to see if you have a case. They will provide legal counsel and assess the validity of your claim. If you and your lawyer feel that there are enough grounds, the next step is legal action. Your attorney would file a contest against the will on your behalf. This litigation seeks to invalidate the will, but the burden of proof falls squarely on you. Depending on the specific circumstances, contesting a will can be a very long and expensive process.

When Should You Think about Contesting a Will?

The testator, or deceased person, has the right to will their inheritance based upon any belief or whim. They also have the right to change it at any point in time, for any reason. But, if you believe they changed the will under suspicious circumstances, try to clarify what happened that led to the decision.

In most instances, a contest is filed when someone is excluded from the will. Sometimes it is an heir or beneficiary who expected to be included but was not. Other times it happens if the testator discussed changes prior to their death but never officially amended the document. Either way, it is a good idea to seek professional advice before filing any paperwork.

It is no small undertaking to contest a will, so it is not a decision that you should make lightly. Of all cases presented to probate court, only about 0.5% to 3% of will contests are successful. So, you should prepare yourself for an uphill battle from the start. You must also look at the practicality of taking action from a financial standpoint as well. Does the potential gain outweigh the legal and emotional cost?

If the answer is yes, there are time-sensitive steps for contesting a will. The rules and timelines concerning a last will and testament vary state to state. These are determined based on where the testator lived at the time of death. Time frames range from a few months to a few years. So, you will need to verify local laws if you want to pursue legal action.

What Are the Grounds for Contesting a Will?

If you believe the last will and testament does not reflect the person’s true intentions, you must prove it in a court of law. However, there are certain criteria to meet before you can contest a will.

1. The will does not meet state regulations or the testator did not sign it in accordance with state laws.

Although you probably assume that documents prepared by an estate lawyer satisfy all legal formalities, it is not always the case. In fact, failure to follow state regulations is the most common way to invalidate a will. Each state sets very specific rules to determine what constitutes a valid will and testament. If the document does not meet all requirements, the courts cannot uphold it.

2. The will was signed under coercion, fraud, or diminished mental capacity.

These cases of often the most difficult to prove and endure. You must have hard evidence on your side as well. In these instances, you must prove the deceased did not have the mental faculties to understand what was happening or was unduly influenced to make changes. Since they cannot speak for themselves, courts must rely on the testimony of those present when the testator signed the will. Unless you have concrete proof, you may not have grounds to contest.

3. The terms of the will are unclear.

In order for a document to qualify as a last will and testament, it must clearly indicate the writer’s intention. If there is any shred of doubt, the probate court can invalidate it.

 4. Heirs of beneficiaries disagree with asset distribution.

Lastly, an heir or beneficiary can contest a will if they disagree with the asset distribution. They may have standing if they are entitled to a larger portion of the estate or have been taken out of the will by mistake. However, be wary of no-contest clauses. Under this clause, you would inherit nothing should you challenge the will and lose.

What are the Alternatives to Contesting a Will?

Before taking any legal action, you may want to look for other avenues to pursue, especially if your case is difficult to prove. Mediation may be a better alternative than an expensive and drawn-out court battle. You are more likely to find a satisfying resolution and avoid the legal fees of prolonged litigation as well.

There may be other options as well that allow you to completely bypass a will contest. Depending on the claim on the estate, there may be other ways to obtain it. For instance, you may be able to claim compensation for unpaid work.

However, if you have no legal grounds to contest the will, it may be better to walk away. The bitterest estate fights often cost more in legal fees than the entire value of the inheritance. If the estimated amount is too low to cover the retainer, don’t spend precious time and energy to fight a losing battle.

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