A five-year study found that employee emotions significantly impact a company’s success. Interestingly, when an employee makes a mistake and isn’t punished, they tend to perform better. A company wants its employees to try, experiment, and succeed, but it is hard for the company to grow if employees are blamed when they make mistakes or fail. Over time, the company can unintentionally become a bureaucracy, which discourages employees from working effectively. Conversely, when employees and the company work together toward the same goal, great success follows. We mistakenly believe that giving employees monetary bonuses will motivate them. However, more factors can encourage people than just money. Not only is money a limited motivator, but it is also costly compared to its effectiveness. When a company becomes an unpleasant place to work, managers, employees, shareholders, and customers all become unhappy. But when it becomes a good place to work, everyone is happy. There’s no ambiguou...
A hotel in the United States operated a call center to serve customers. The top call center employee received an additional bonus equal to one-third of their monthly salary. However, the same person was always the best employee. Here’s a question: for a company’s performance to improve, should bonuses go to those who perform well or to those who do not? Giving bonuses to underperformers can boost overall performance. The top employees are already performing at their best; their performance doesn’t significantly change. Just as paying a singer more doesn’t necessarily mean they sing better, paying less doesn’t mean they sing worse. In call centers, the best employees should be promoted to higher ranks and receive higher base salaries, not just bonuses. Offering bonuses primarily to those who are directly affected by them is the right motivational strategy. The purpose of a bonus is to influence those who can still improve, not to reward those already excelling. Money is simply a fundamental tool of motivation. CEOs need to understand what motivates people and how financial incentives can influence behavior. Overusing bonuses can have adverse effects because money isn’t a cure-all.
- Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
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