Is Money Really a Motivator?
During a team meeting some time back, there was some general grousing about the stingy raises being handed out. Our supervisor explained that business was off some and we should all consider ourselves lucky to have a job. “Besides”, she then proclaimed, “it’s been proven that money does not motivate people”.
I waited for an outburst of laughter, but there was none. Maybe my associates were thinking the same thing as I: Is she serious?
If one digs deep enough, I’m sure one can indeed find studies which indicate that more money, as in a raise, does not motivate a worker to increase their productivity proportionally. And, there is probably some truth to that, given that many if not most employees feel that an annual increase is justified. It’s something they feel they’ve earned based on the previous year’s performance. In their defense, it follows that if someone has performed the same duties for a year, they should have become better and more efficient.
But, that is not always the case. In many positions, it’s difficult to measure a person’s output. If my job consists of auto repair, for example, I can only repair what comes into the shop. If business falls off, my numbers are going to be down. It’s as simple as that. I can certainly become more adept at my craft; I can do things faster, more efficiently, and with higher quality, but I can’t go out and break cars in the hopes it will increase business.
So, getting back to the “money doesn’t motivate” comment. It reminded me of another comment someone once made: “Figures don’t lie, but liars figure”. In other words, the validity of any study is relative to the observer. I seriously doubt that any study funded or endorsed by a corporation will conclude that money does in fact motivate people. And, if it did, the results would likely be quashed. On the contrary, that study would more likely conclude that employees would much prefer praise and recognition. An occasional “atta-boy”, if you will. An “employee of the month” kind of thing.
So, the answer to the posited question is - in my opinion - usually. People are different. Some will recognize that in order to receive regular salary increases and bonuses, they must constantly endeavor to do their job better. And, some won’t. Some understand that a company’s outgo cannot exceed it’s income. At least, not for very long. Others feel they’re due an increase simply because they’ve kept a seat toasty for a year.
Many companies do self-evaluations, wherein the employee will list their achievements, etc. for the previous year. Maybe those assessments should conclude with the following essay question: “What have you done to deserve a salary increase?” The answers should be interesting.
How to Become Less Valuable as an Employee
On October 19th, 1987, a date which later became know as “Black Monday”, stock markets around the world crashed, many losing over 40% of their value by the end of the month.
In April, 1964, Ford Motor Company introduced the Mustang, a sporty “pony car” which had a MSRP of about $2,400. Today, a restored Mustang of that vintage could fetch upwards of $25,000.
So, value is relative. Something that is considered valuable today could be virtually worthless tomorrow. Or, vice-versa.
And, as an employee, you too could see your value plummet, by following these sure-fire guidelines:
Be undependable
Come in late. Miss deadlines. Force others to take up your slack. Make commitments to the boss, your co-workers and customers, and constantly fail to deliver on them.
Have no initiative
Do the absolute least you can to get by. After completing an assignment, wait for an engraved invitation to do something else. Then, find a way to procrastinate.
Don’t learn anything
Become stagnant as an employee. Make no effort to improve your skills, or educate yourself. Shun innovation and advancement.
Wait until the last minute to complete assignments
Nothing sends the boss running for the milk of magnesia like an employee who plays brinkmanship with deadlines.
Be disruptive
Stir up discord among your co-workers. Spread malicious rumors and innuendo. Make sure everyone knows how highly you think of yourself.
By following these simple rules, you could see your stock free-fall like a rock into a dry well in no time. And, you’ll have no one but yourself to blame.
How to Create (and Keep) Jobs in America
In December, 2009, President Obama held a forum with “executives, labor leaders, and academics” looking for ideas to create more jobs. Apparently, my invitation was lost in the mail, but nonetheless, here are my ideas for creating (and keeping) jobs in America:
Stop the hemorrhaging of American jobs to other countries
Although estimates vary widely, there is no denying that millions of American jobs have gone to other countries over the past three decades, over two million in the manufacturing industry alone. I’ve heard all the arguments for “globalism”, and “offshoring” and the like. I’ve heard the cries of “protectionism”. And I’m convinced that if we do not reverse this trend soon, it will not be that many years before unemployment reaches 25% or more, and the average “working class” American’s personal wealth drops to pre-1960s levels (adjusted for inflation).
Corporations move off-shore and outsource for one very obvious reason: it helps their bottom line. It follows then, that the only way to stop (and reverse) this trend is to pass legislation making it unprofitable for a company to move jobs out of the country, either through added taxes, or tariffs on goods and services not produced here.
Yes, there will be a backlash - from our trading partners, and multi-national concerns alike - however we are at a critical juncture in our history, and if we do not plug the dike now, we will be treading water very soon. An alarmist observation to be sure, but as someone once said, “Alarmists are always right, though their time-table may be off a little.”
Offer incentives to businesses for hiring unemployed workers
There are millions of Americans out of work. Many are drawing unemployment, some are receiving public assistance of some kind. But, they all have one thing in common; none are producing anything. The federal and state governments should take some of this “incentive” money, some of the millions in unemployment compensation, etc. and subsidize worker’s salaries.
For example, the government would compensate an employer for half an employee’s wages and benefits for the first six months, and 25% for the next six months. There would have to be restrictions, of course, on the total number of employees for which a business would qualify for compensation, and only unemployed or seriously under-employed workers should be considered. Also, this plan would only apply to new employees, over and above any additions already planned, as it makes no sense to subsidize a job that already exists.
Even if every one of these people were laid-off at the end of that first year, it would still aid the economic recovery significantly, if only for the goods and services produced, and wouldn’t cost one dime more. Many workers would learn new skills, and those out of work for months (or years) would get back into the routine of working.
Use “incentive” money to fund small business incubators
According to this site in 2005 alone, North American incubation programs assisted more than 27,000 companies that provided employment for more than 100,000 workers and generated annual revenues of $17 billion. Incubators offer support resources and services to start-up and early-stage businesses. Often the office space for the incubator is donated by local businesses, and retired business people will donate their time and expertise. Local governments and academic institutions donate roughly 20% each in operating expenses to various incubator programs, but that still leaves over half that someone has to cover. If just one or two hundred incubators could be set up, specifically in the hardest hit areas in terms of unemployment, it could result in thousands of new jobs.
Stop handcuffing small business
When I started my business, I went from the initial planning stages to “hanging out my shingle” in just over two months. Early into my second year, I was showing a profit. If I attempted to start a similar business today, not only would it be much more difficult and expensive, the odds of it surviving, much less running “in the black” within a year or so would be far lower. The reason? Federal and local governments have seen fit to impose needlessly strict, and horrifically expensive rules, regulations, and requirements on small businesses. I personally know of a woman who wanted to start a catering business. She had the knowledge, the equipment, the space, and many potential clients. But, the city inspector came in and gave her a laundry list of items she would have to add or change to get a permit. It would have cost her several times her estimated annual income to comply with the requirements, so she opted to not pursue it.
I’m not suggesting that laws and regulations regarding health and safety be compromised, but there are many localities where there is so much red tape to bulldoze through, it simply isn’t worth the risk to start a business. There are thousands of electricians, pet groomers, tax advisors, craftsmen, and hair stylists out there who have the time, expertise, (and are willing to put in the “sweat equity”) to start a business, but they see the deck stacked against them, and they blame over-regulation. Add to that the fact that funding is much harder to come by and liability insurance rates have increased significantly, and it’s no wonder that American small business is suffering.
There is no “magic bullet”, no single solution to this mess, but by attacking the problem from several angles, by chipping away at the scourge of joblessness, we can begin the long, arduous task of restoring the American economy to it’s glory days.
Why There is No “I” in Team
We’ve all heard the expression: There is no “I” in team. And, unfortunately, there is often no team in team either. We hear people toss around terms like team player, team building exercises, team this, team that, team something else. And, like many other business buzzwords, there is often a major disconnect between what a business believes it’s team concept to be, and what it actually is. Among the reasons for this:
Everyone wants to be the star quarterback, no one wants to be the water boy
The notion that everyone is working together for a common goal is often lost on the employee that is on the bottom rung of an organization. Especially if that employee has been there for some time and doubly especially if that employee has watched as other, less motivated and qualified individuals moved up the job ladder.
You can’t choose your co-workers
The notion that people with goals, interests, and motivations that are at odds with each other will mesh for the common good is at best idealistic, at worst laughable. Consider the employee that, in the middle of a so-called “team-building exercise“, looks around the conference table, and sees not team members, but people with whom he is in competition for raises, bonuses, and promotions. People who have derided and denigrated him behind his back, apple-polishers and brown-nosers, and those who obtained their position through nepotism and favoritism. And they are supposed to be on the same team. One hardly wonders why the team concept is lost on this individual.
You do the work, I’ll take the credit
Long before the term team player came into vogue, outright theft was practiced on a daily basis in many workplaces. Employees have routinely taken credit for work performed by others. When work is the product of a team, the opportunity to do this is increased exponentially, as the team typically takes equal credit for the work, although their actual contributions are unequal.
As with other common workplace practices, it is the responsibility of management to:
Recognize that there will always be a void of some measure between the team concept as stated and as practiced.
Make a point to recognize and reward team members per their actual contribution to a project or endeavor, as opposed to a blanket recognition.
Don’t run the team concept thing into the ground. To foster cooperation among your employees is one thing; to expect them to band together like the 1st Cavalry Division is quite another.
Don’t Kill the Messenger
Ever had to give the boss bad news? If so, chances are you approached the task with trepidation, feeling out his mood first, tapping on his door ever so lightly, asking if he had “a sec”. You may have engaged in a little small talk before dropping the bomb. And if you’re a boss that’s been the recipient of bad news from an employee, you probably felt at least a little resentment towards that employee, however subconsciously.
I’ll never forget an opportunity I had to give an employer beneficial, even critical insight. I’d only been there a few months, but long enough to have formed some fairly strong impressions. The training coordinator approached me one afternoon and asked cheerily, “Well, what do you think?” So I told her. In essence what I told her was that they had a disloyal, cost-conscious, and ever-dwindling customer base, aggressive competition in the low and mid-range price markets, and that if they didn’t make serious changes in how they did business, they’d be out of business in a year. Her jaw dropped. She asked me to elaborate, and I did, giving her specific examples to support my opinions. As I spoke, I could see the tension building in her expression. She clearly did not want to hear this (and neither would management). I then offered suggestions to help remedy the situations I’d spoken of, but the conversation came to an abrupt halt.
Shortly thereafter I noticed my manager and other higher-ups behaving contentiously towards me, and within a few months - having read the proverbial writing on the wall - I found another job. In all fairness, I should note the company was not out of business in a year; it was closer to 18 months.
Had management at least considered my comments and recommendations objectively, they may have seen that I was not trying to criticize or tear down the company; I was trying to be helpful and share valid, yet admittedly unpleasant, observations. But, they chose to kill the messenger.
No one likes to be the bearer of bad news, and no one likes to hear it, especially if you’re the person that has to deal with the unhelpful development. The competition has beaten you to the punch with a new product rollout; your senior I.T. person is about to jump ship for a more lucrative offer; someone is sneaking product out the back door after hours. You don’t want to hear it. But, hear it you must, and your employees must be encouraged to bring you these sad tidings, as no matter how bad the news is, knowing is better than not knowing.
What is Your J.T.I. (Job Tolerability Index)?
As I noted in a previous article, people love to complain about their jobs. There always seems to be something about work which just rubs us the wrong way. But, like everything else, it’s relative; it’s a matter of the degree to which we find fault with our livelihood. It may be that you’re just bored, or frustrated, or burned out, but the fact is, your job could actually be killing you.
Below is a quiz to determine your job tolerability index. Note, this quiz is designed to determine how tolerable your job is for you, not how “good” or “bad” the job is in a generic sense. It is, after all, the job you hold, and how tolerable it is to someone else is moot. It is a barometer of sorts, to gauge how you feel about your job.
If I won the lottery, I would quit my job only if I won:
1. I wouldn’t quit, no matter how much I won.
2. 10 times my annual salary.
3. 5 times my annual salary.
4. Twice my annual salary.
5. Enough to build a squatter’s shack in the middle of a national forest.
I start dreading going back to work:
1. I don’t dread it at all.
2. As I’m walking in the door.
3. While I’m getting ready for work.
4. Around bedtime.
5. As I’m walking out the door.
My job would be perfect if only:
1. I wouldn’t change a thing.
2. I made more money.
3. My efforts were appreciated more.
4. Several things would have to change for me to consider my job perfect.
5. There is no way my job could be considered anything other than legalized torture.
If I could trade jobs with anyone I know personally, it would be:
1. I wouldn’t trade.
2. One or two people.
3. A few to several people.
4. Any of a significant number of people.
5. Any of them. Seriously, I’d trade jobs with the first person I pass on the street.
Which best describes your feelings about your job:
1. I absolutely love it.
2. I find it somewhat challenging and rewarding.
3. I’ve had worse.
4. I’d quit if I could afford to.
5. I hate my job unequivocally.
Scoring:
Less than 10: Consider yourself fortunate. You enjoy your work, and find it satisfying.
10 - 15: While there are things you would change if you could, you feel pretty good about your job.
16 - 20: You don’t seem to enjoy your work, and it is likely draining you significantly.
Over 20: Your unhappiness with your job is very likely affecting your health, your general outlook on life, and quite possibly your relationships.
It goes without saying, in this economy most people do not have the luxury of just up and quitting a job, no matter how much they dislike it. But, where there’s a will, there’s a way. I personally know of five or six people who’ve changed jobs or careers over the past few months, with mostly positive results. If you scored over 20, you should seriously think about putting together a blueprint to get out of a job that may be slowly killing you.