Bonuses, Commissions, and Quotas

[Humility]

You can't quantify inspiration. There is no way to apply that to a business model. All businesses would love to find that ideal Synergy, but lets face it, what are they going to do? Fire employees if they don't become friends?

"Hey Ted, yeah, you are a great worker extremely qualified, you do three times the work of anybody else around here, you are our most valuable employee. But, unfortunately, you just don't have the synergy with your fellow employees we need, you make them feel inferior, so we are going to have to fire you."

Why do you think corporations spend millions upon millions on activities for their employees to work together? Company picnics, company bowling, casual meetings, Casual Fridays, in-office twitter feeds, company discounts if you do something with another employee. They are trying to get the employees to become friends just for the synergy! They are already trying that, but its not working. Because the cause usually is far from a bonding one and the employees have no pride in their work.

"Hello, I am your cashier today. I am so proud of my ability to smile and pass things over he laser all day just like millions of others do. What a cause! I like my Boss, we are great friends, but I just can't feel inspired enough to pass these things over the laser any faster then I am now. I'm at the glass ceiling and I have no hope for any future improvement in my life, I am at a dead end, and it is only by emersing myself in mindless entertainment that I am able to get through from day to day. Yeah, but my boss is a great guy though, when he comes by, a little pep talk and I am ready for another five minutes or so of work! "

You can't force people to be friends, you can't get them excited over a worthless cause, you can't force people to be happy when they are miserable and even the best leaders can't inspire their employees when they have already accepted the Harsh Reality that their efforts will go unrewarded and lead to a cause they can't care about.

And anybody who is inspired by nothing is an idiot and likely in the bliss of ignorance.

[Rota]

You can't quantify inspiration.

Too true...

Excellent post, Humility!

[Humility]

There is one area you did not mention though, a scaling quota. Using your example, the reward starts at four thousand and every hundred above that which is made earns a small bonus.

[Rodri]

There is one area you did not mention though, a scaling quota. Using your example, the reward starts at four thousand and every hundred above that which is made earns a small bonus.

In a manufacturing situation this would simply encourage employees to ignore safety proceedures, quality control systems and potential maintenance problems as the driving desire is to maximise daily production at any cost. The employees aren't motivated to do a good job, they are motivated to do a fast job. This could end up costing the company far more than the increased income from higher production levels.

[Humility]

Simultaneously enforce following of procedure. Thats what a supervisor is for anyway.

[Rodri]

Simultaneously enforce following of procedure. Thats what a supervisor is for anyway.

Further allienating the workforce from management and the company by creating an overseer and slave mentallity in the workplace. Employees begin to look over their shoulder and resent the presence of their supervisors, rather than see them as a part of the production team and a colleague they can look to for advice and guidance.

[Humility]

They already have supervisors, if you want to get rid of them, then replace them with end of day inspectors who go check the equipment and merchandise for evidence of ignoring of procedure. If they are ignoring procedure, then there is evidence known as the problem. Just make sure they know that the things will be checked and it becomes a pressure that is there to keep them in-line without being overbearing like you believe a supervisor will be.

And there is nothing that says you can't combine good leadership with incentive, a combination would be ideal. But again, there is no way to quantify things like good leadership.

[Rodri]

^ Just tell me the name of the company you run so I can avoid ever applying for a job there.

[Humility]

Marketforce, I'm a vendor. That means I go from store to store getting paid between $6-8 a job, setting up various products and I get no travel pay. And I get absolutely no incentive, the only thing they have to make sure I do my job are random audits from other vendors.

I am sad to say more then once I have done a sub-par job simply because I was in a rush and felt no pressing need to do better.

But my job really isn't relevant to this.

[Gnerphk]

Since one's experience determines one's perspective, it would seem that your job has relevance to us when we're interpreting your opinions, Humi. I've worked with people that I despised and was still motivated to do an excellent job for my customers and my boss - due to an excellent management strategy.

It can be accomplished. I'll grant that some jobs are very difficult to properly manage, and some people resist the more transparent methods; even Rota's approach would backfire for certain individuals. Management is an active role, not a passive set of rules; it requires constant adaptation and hard work - mostly thankless hard work.

But it is worth the effort.