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