Crazy Money

Michael: How can I get you to stay?
Stanley: Money.
Michael: We all want money. But there is none in the budget so ... tell me why you're really leaving.
Stanley: Money.
Michael: Mo' money, mo' problems, Stanley. You of all people should know that.

--the office

Reminds me of my first job after moving to the Seattle area. I had a line manager who repeatedly expressed unsolicited empathy for how little I was making and how difficult that must be with a family to raise. Never-mind the self-gratification of "feeling sorry" for how little you're paying an employee, or the passive-aggressive motives behind actually putting such concerns into words. What really got me was how this manager responded when I finally got around to asking for a raise:

Me: It's been one hell of a year. I've proven my worth. I think it's time for a raise.
PHB: Wha?
Me: Yeah, remember how you hired me on a try-and-buy arrangement? Are you ready to buy?
PHB: Well, uh, you know people aren't typically motivated primarily by money. So what else can we do for you?
Me: (jaw hanging in disbelief, thinking: "fuck-off?") Um, nothing. Never-mind.

Asking myself: "would I do this job if they weren't paying me?" No. Life is too short. I left to work for a competitor shortly thereafter.

Money is a strange thing. Money + people? Insane.