THE HIGH COST OF LOW SALARIES: STRONG REASONS FOR PAY EQUITY

Abstract

Low salaries have both direct and indirect fiscal impact on libraries as well as on librarians. Low pay leads to high turnover which in turn leads to the extra costs of frequently recruiting and training new staff and revitalizing interrupted programs. To this must be added the cost of stress on low‐paid librarians which can increase absences and lower productivity. The profession as a whole loses revenue when librarians cannot afford to join professional organizations or attend conferences; their libraries bear the cost of Jess efficient services when librarians lack such valuable contacts with new ideas. A pay equity campaign to raise salaries can help mitigate these problems. Eliminating unnecessary costs makes good business sense.

Citation

Kirkland, J.J. (1992), "THE HIGH COST OF LOW SALARIES: STRONG REASONS FOR PAY EQUITY", The Bottom Line, Vol. 5 No. 1, pp. 11-13. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb025314