Incentives for employees… Are we always consistent in what we value and what we reward?
Promotions, raises, pats on the back and even just the regular paycheck are among the ways organizations show their employees that they are valued and their contributions are recognized.
But it’s not that uncommon for organizational rewards to be out of sync with the behaviors employees are told are valued. And when there’s a conflict between a company’s words and its rewards, want to guess what speaks most loudly to staff?
Examples of Inconsistencies between Desired Behaviors and Reward Systems:
We hope for… | But we reward… |
Long term growth; environmental responsibility | Quarterly earnings |
Setting challenging “stretch” objectives | Achieving goals: “making the numbers” |
Commitment to total quality | Shipping on schedule, even with defects |
Teamwork and collaboration | The best team members |
Innovative thinking and risk taking | Proven methods and not making mistakes |
Development of people skills | Technical achievements and accomplishments |
Employee involvement and empowerment | Tight control over operations and resources |
High achievement | Another year’s effort |
I’m a teacher. This sounds like what we do in school, too!