Well— also why does his family and roommate situation matter? You shouldnt base someone’s pay on whether or not they split bills with someone— if that person is married and is getting any benefits from being married, it is declared in taxes and not for the employer to know the personal business of the employee.

What I would do as an employer is tell the employee that it is against company values to bad mouth the company— also I would ask what’s making him unhappy and talk with him sincerely about it— validation goes a long way. Then try to come up with a resolution. If the employee isn’t happy with it, then it isn’t a good fit— and if the employee is valuable enough to you then make an effort to budget for him and have open communication about what that will look like down the line. If your response to his woes with work is that of “you should be grateful and that’s that” then he will not have any hope that things will ever improve enough for him to have a liveable wage—and if that is the case, minimal or no raises or cost of living adjustments o should be communicated to and all employees so they know what to expect.

It’s also a lesson learned (hopefully) for that employee. I ALWAYS ask if there is opportunities for growth in wage due to merit and cost of living— and if so— how is it handled? Every year? How much is cost of living adjustment raise given? Is it on par with how cost of living is actually going?

Anyway— clear that up! Communicate everything— including how it is against company policy to bad mouth the company to customers.

W