The workers who don't want a raise

You don't make much money, and may have trouble paying for basic needs without government assistance. Now you're up for a promotion, but might not want it if the pay raise is large enough to make you ineligible for that assistance, yet cannot adequately meet your needs without government aid. This is what's described as the "cliff effect," in an article published Sunday, written by UMass Boston's Susan Crandall. Workers who experience this effect — those in industries like retail, hospitality, and service — weigh the "risk of getting poorer while working harder," and in such a scenario, every party involved can lose, Crandall writes. From the article: "The pain isn’t just personal. Josie’s whole family misses out if she passes on an opportunity to earn more. The government loses a chance to stop using taxpayer dollars to cover benefits to someone who might not otherwise need them. The hospital can’t take full advantage of Josie’s proven talents." Before today, I'd hadn't heard of this term at all, but is anyone familiar with the cliff effect? Seen it firsthand with friends, family members or co-workers? Would love to get some thoughts on this. #InService #InRetail

You don't make much money, and may have trouble paying for basic needs without government assistance. Now you're up for a promotion, but might not want it if the pay raise is large enough to make you ineligible for that assistance, yet cannot adequately meet your needs without government aid. This is what's described as the "cliff effect," in an article published Sunday, written by UMass Boston's Susan Crandall. Workers who experience this effect — those in industries like retail, hospitality, and service — weigh the "risk of getting poorer while working harder," and in such a scenario, every party involved can lose, Crandall writes. From the article: "The pain isn’t just personal. Josie’s whole family misses out if she passes on an opportunity to earn more. The government loses a chance to stop using taxpayer dollars to cover benefits to someone who might not otherwise need them. The hospital can’t take full advantage of Josie’s proven talents." Before today, I'd hadn't heard of this term at all, but is anyone familiar with the cliff effect? Seen it firsthand with friends, family members or co-workers? Would love to get some thoughts on this. #InService #InRetail

You don't make much money, and may have trouble paying for basic needs without government assistance. Now you're up for a promotion, but might not want it if the pay raise is large enough to make you ineligible for that assistance, yet cannot adequately meet your needs without government aid. This is what's described as the "cliff effect," in an article published Sunday, written by UMass Boston's Susan Crandall. Workers who experience this effect — those in industries like retail, hospitality, and service — weigh the "risk of getting poorer while working harder," and in such a scenario, every party involved can lose, Crandall writes. From the article: "The pain isn’t just personal. Josie’s whole family misses out if she passes on an opportunity to earn more. The government loses a chance to stop using taxpayer dollars to cover benefits to someone who might not otherwise need them. The hospital can’t take full advantage of Josie’s proven talents." Before today, I'd hadn't heard of this term at all, but is anyone familiar with the cliff effect? Seen it firsthand with friends, family members or co-workers? Would love to get some thoughts on this. #InService #InRetail

You don't make much money, and may have trouble paying for basic needs without government assistance. Now you're up for a promotion, but might not want it if the pay raise is large enough to make you ineligible for that assistance, yet cannot adequately meet your needs without government aid. This is what's described as the "cliff effect," in an article published Sunday, written by UMass Boston's Susan Crandall. Workers who experience this effect — those in industries like retail, hospitality, and service — weigh the "risk of getting poorer while working harder," and in such a scenario, every party involved can lose, Crandall writes. From the article: "The pain isn’t just personal. Josie’s whole family misses out if she passes on an opportunity to earn more. The government loses a chance to stop using taxpayer dollars to cover benefits to someone who might not otherwise need them. The hospital can’t take full advantage of Josie’s proven talents." Before today, I'd hadn't heard of this term at all, but is anyone familiar with the cliff effect? Seen it firsthand with friends, family members or co-workers? Would love to get some thoughts on this. #InService #InRetail

You don't make much money, and may have trouble paying for basic needs without government assistance. Now you're up for a promotion, but might not want it if the pay raise is large enough to make you ineligible for that assistance, yet cannot adequately meet your needs without government aid. This is what's described as the "cliff effect," in an article published Sunday, written by UMass Boston's Susan Crandall. Workers who experience this effect — those in industries like retail, hospitality, and service — weigh the "risk of getting poorer while working harder," and in such a scenario, every party involved can lose, Crandall writes. From the article: "The pain isn’t just personal. Josie’s whole family misses out if she passes on an opportunity to earn more. The government loses a chance to stop using taxpayer dollars to cover benefits to someone who might not otherwise need them. The hospital can’t take full advantage of Josie’s proven talents." Before today, I'd hadn't heard of this term at all, but is anyone familiar with the cliff effect? Seen it firsthand with friends, family members or co-workers? Would love to get some thoughts on this. #InService #InRetail

You don't make much money, and may have trouble paying for basic needs without government assistance. Now you're up for a promotion, but might not want it if the pay raise is large enough to make you ineligible for that assistance, yet cannot adequately meet your needs without government aid. This is what's described as the "cliff effect," in an article published Sunday, written by UMass Boston's Susan Crandall. Workers who experience this effect — those in industries like retail, hospitality, and service — weigh the "risk of getting poorer while working harder," and in such a scenario, every party involved can lose, Crandall writes. From the article: "The pain isn’t just personal. Josie’s whole family misses out if she passes on an opportunity to earn more. The government loses a chance to stop using taxpayer dollars to cover benefits to someone who might not otherwise need them. The hospital can’t take full advantage of Josie’s proven talents." Before today, I'd hadn't heard of this term at all, but is anyone familiar with the cliff effect? Seen it firsthand with friends, family members or co-workers? Would love to get some thoughts on this. #InService #InRetail

Sad - Given the pressure to earn enough to make ends meet, you would think that low-paid workers would be clamoring for raises. But this is not always the case. Because so many American jobs don't pay enough to cover food, housing and other basic needs, many low-wage workers rely on public benefits that are only available to people in need, such as housing vouchers and Medicaid, to pay their bills.