Molefe J. Maleka, Clifford K. Hlatywayo, Mthokosi Mpofu, Ines Meyer
Abstract
The paper investigated the extent to which employees perceive their income as a living wage that enables them to live a decent life in Namibia. This study was influenced by Sen’s capability and Carr et al’s living wage frameworks, showing that it approached living wage from an economic and psychological lens. The study was qualitative, and it was influenced by interpretivism. The participants were conveniently selected and interviewed outside the Mall of Namibia in Windhoek. The data were thematically analysed. The main findings were that employees who earned below N$4000 could not afford to make ends meet, while those who earned N$10 001 and above monthly could live decent lives. It was also found that salaries can be market-related, but that the cost of living and family arrangements make it difficult for employees to cope, irrespective of their wage levels. This study has implications for managers, policymakers and human resources practitioners, in that paying low wages traps employees in poverty, and such wages adversely affect organisational justice and employee well-being (i.e., happiness and job satisfaction).