What does the Torah say about an employer’s general duties- specifically about owing money to employees for a long time. What about not giving a deserved raise of salary to an employee and instead spending the money on the employers own benefit?
Thank you for your questions. This is quite an extensive topic, which I really can’t do justice to with in this forum. There are many articles written about this on the internet that I’m sure you’ll find helpful. Some sites that come to mind which discuss this are JLaw.com , JewishEthicist.com , and Torah.org . However, in a nutshell, employers are required to pay upon completion of the job, or by the agreed upon time for payment to the employee. It is considered a severe violation of Jewish law if an employee is not paid at the proper time.
Regarding a raise, an employer has no obligation to offer a raise, unless this was part of the original contractual agreement at the time of hiring. However, it makes sense for him to do so as a way of encouraging his employees and boosting productivity.
Take care,
Rabbi Aaron Tendler