Interesting article about WW employees unhappy with the pay structure. This also explains why product sales are so important for employees. The comments to the article are also very interesting.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/26/bu...low-wages.html

Wow, this is kind of disheartening. I really like the program but that is sad the way they are treating their employees.

Roxanne

I have mixed emotions on that article, honestly.

The base rate is $18? Many people would kill to make $18/hour. Additionally, I know many of leaders use this as extra income, not their primary job. I mean, you clearly know you won't be working a 40 hour week there if you're running meetings.

Honestly, it sounds like a Mary Kay/ 31/Scentsy kind of job.

I don't know, I just feel like if I ever became a leader I'd know full well it wouldn't be a huge income and the money wouldn't be the reason I'd be doing it.

That got me, too. I had to re-read it to make sure I saw the correct number. Even if you're only working part-time that's still more than twice the current national minimum wage average. Heck, I'm full-time salaried and make a fair amount of money and that's more than my base rate.

Yes, the base rate is $18, but that is NOT PER HOUR, it is infact for 2 1/2 hours. That $18 is the full pay for 1 meeting: all set up, tear down, and any and all responsibilites involved.

Gotcha. Thank you for the clarification, that does indeed make a difference.

From reading some comments on the article, back in the 70s I read that the base rate was $14 and it was raised to $18 in the 80s. WW considers a meeting 3 hours so $18 was essentially $6 an hour back in the 80s so OK. However that base rate hasn't been raised since then (according to what I read). I think that WW position is that the job is essentially commission sales so the base rate doesn't matter. That is, a leader who is good at selling products will make more than a leader who isn't good at selling products.

I agree that for many leaders it isn't a full time job. Like a lot of places, my understanding is that benefits are only available for those working above a certain amount so there is an incentive not to give people lots of meetings even if the employee wanted it.

I also know that most WW leaders don't do it for the money. Yet...that is true for a lot of jobs and has historically has been used as a reason to underpay people in certain professions. The reality is that what sets WW apart from every other weight loss problem is the meetings and the staff so it bothers me to see the staff not making very much money.

I also would prefer to see them paid a salary rather than being compensated based upon sales of products. I would prefer to have them not have the incentive to sell products that may not be that good. A lot of their food products are really junk. I agree it may be a portion controlled junk but I don't really like that leaders have a financial incentive to push junk food.

This is very disheartening. Each person pays on average 42 a month to go to a meeting.... I have seen some meetings with at least 25 people.... and they can't pay their leaders more? I know most don't do it for the $, but it is almost insulting that these ladies give their time and get so little..... but they pay celebrities MILLIONS just to lose weight (the same weight we have to pay them to lose).

I think it is really sad. I hope the leaders get a raise quickly.