Suppose there are two employees: Alice and Bob, who do the same job at the same factory. Alice has a 10 minute (20RT) commute, Bob commutes 35 minutes(70RT).
If you’re the owner of the factory, would you compensate them for their commutes? How would you do it?
This is idiotic. No one compensates employees for their commute.
So many ridiculous variables that would need to be factored in and so much room for abuse. Are they going to be compensated based on distance or time?
You just asked exactly the same question as the OP
That’s what I’m asking you, my fellow Lemmy :)
The answer is they don’t compensate them, because that would be silly.
Why? Bob has higher costs and longer preparation time for work.
In economic theory, the job is worth less to Bob, and he should be compensated more for taking it.
Is it fair that Bob should subsidise the company’s labor costs?
Bob’s labor also incurs greater costs on the communal infrastructure (roads, pollution, gas, etc), why should the company not also have a higher burden (higher tax) to compensate the commons for that?
Because the simplest option for the company is not to hire Bob.
Bob chose to live and work where he does, he can live with the consequences of his choices.
I don’t feel sorry for bob.
Yea, thats not true. Where I live any employer legally has to do it. They either pay a certain amount per kilometer (defined by law) or pay your public transportation fee. I rack in about 300€ of travel compensation every month which covers fuel costs. Having to pay to get to work seems to bizzare to me.
Also wait till you learn our lunch breaks are paid and on top of that the company has to either provide a meal or compensate you for that too…
Where I live (NL) €0,21 per kilometer (untaxed) is typical. Some get a cross country public transit pass which can be used for unlimited private trips or even car which can also be used for private trips, though for cars this is seen as income and taxed. But with tax incentives for EVs it isn’t too bad.
There are also companies that pay something like €600-1500 per month mobility budget (taxed as income if not used, partly tax free is used for transportation options named above or KMs.) This is more typical in higher paying jobs of course.
It’s less typical to see time paid.