You Get What You Reward
Content
You Get What You Reward
Written By: Dr. Mohammed Benayoune
There is an old saying: ³people don't do what you expect, they do what you inspect.´ I will add to it ³and reward.´ Are you rewarding the behaviours you would like to see exhibited by your people? Are you keeping silent about, and hence indirectly rewarding, behaviours that you do not like? Is your organization finding it hard to achieve its desired results? Are you having difficulties implementing the changes you want in the workplace? Do you feel your people are not engaged and motivated to deliver what is expected of them? If you do not like the answers to these questions you might want to look at your reward system. It may seem evident that the simplest way to get what you want from your employees is to reward them for it. People are likely to deliver on activities that bring them rewards. However, many organizations fail to apply this principle. Instead they will reward attendance when they want performance; conventionality when they want innovation and creativity; and complacency when they want care and attention to achieving organizational objectives. We know that organizations keep attendance records and employees are usually held accountable when they come late or leave early; however, they usually do not track how productive these employees are in between. It is human nature for employees to act in what they perceive to be their best interests. People generally behave the way they are taught by the reward system. This is true for employees at all levels of the organization including the person at the top. How do you institute a just reward system? Consider the following: y Decide on the behaviours and results you want and communicate them clearly. Clarify your expectations for each team member. Clear expectations help individuals determine the tools, competencies and behaviours they need to achieve the desired results. When people are clear about expectations they are more likely to be engaged and motivated to deliver. It will also help build trust and maintain high morale. Evaluate your current reward system whether formal or informal. Do you have a reward system that is separate from basic salary and fringe benefits? Is there a portion of the pay which is at risk if the employee does not deliver expected results or exhibit the behaviour you want? What about informal rewards, such as learning opportunities on or off the job, challenging assignments that allow the employee to grow, recognition for a job well done, a positive work environment that gives job satisfaction and enjoyment? Is your reward system focused on the behaviours you like? If not change it. Examine your own behaviour. Is your behaviour contributing to the way your people are behaving? It is not always easy to link your own behaviours to the behaviours of those around you but it is essential that you identify the link and make appropriate changes in your own behaviour. If you do not change you will not be able to influence those around you to make the changes you desire. Be careful of silent rewards. You may be rewarding indirectly when you do nothing. Suppose an employee does not finish his tasks on time and you accept his excuses without challenging him, hoping that he gets it. But he does not get it and continues to be late. Your silence sends a message that it is acceptable to be late. You will also be sending this message to others - this is an acceptable behaviour. Before you know it, finishing tasks late becomes an acceptable behaviour for everyone in your
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organization. y Create a reward system that is based on the understanding that people have different personalities and motivations. Although a financial reward is appreciated by almost everyone, it is not always the best. Some people may prefer growth and learning opportunities while others prefer public recognition and praise.
Your reward system must be fair. There is an old saying ³there is nothing more unequal than the equal treatment of unequals.´ I have known organizations which for political reasons treat everyone equally when it comes to rewards, fearing a backlash if they distinguished between individuals. This brings the opposite effect of what it intends to achieve. For your reward system to be seen as fair and just it has to reward each person according to their contribution to the results. This requires a measurement system that is clear and transparent. There are three steps to getting the desired results: y y y Clarify the expected results and desired behaviours. Provide the tools and competencies needed to get these results. Monitor, measure and reward what you desire.
You will get only the results and behaviours that you are seen to inspect, record and reward.
Written By: Dr. Mohammed Benayoune
There is an old saying: ³people don't do what you expect, they do what you inspect.´ I will add to it ³and reward.´ Are you rewarding the behaviours you would like to see exhibited by your people? Are you keeping silent about, and hence indirectly rewarding, behaviours that you do not like? Is your organization finding it hard to achieve its desired results? Are you having difficulties implementing the changes you want in the workplace? Do you feel your people are not engaged and motivated to deliver what is expected of them? If you do not like the answers to these questions you might want to look at your reward system. It may seem evident that the simplest way to get what you want from your employees is to reward them for it. People are likely to deliver on activities that bring them rewards. However, many organizations fail to apply this principle. Instead they will reward attendance when they want performance; conventionality when they want innovation and creativity; and complacency when they want care and attention to achieving organizational objectives. We know that organizations keep attendance records and employees are usually held accountable when they come late or leave early; however, they usually do not track how productive these employees are in between. It is human nature for employees to act in what they perceive to be their best interests. People generally behave the way they are taught by the reward system. This is true for employees at all levels of the organization including the person at the top. How do you institute a just reward system? Consider the following: y Decide on the behaviours and results you want and communicate them clearly. Clarify your expectations for each team member. Clear expectations help individuals determine the tools, competencies and behaviours they need to achieve the desired results. When people are clear about expectations they are more likely to be engaged and motivated to deliver. It will also help build trust and maintain high morale. Evaluate your current reward system whether formal or informal. Do you have a reward system that is separate from basic salary and fringe benefits? Is there a portion of the pay which is at risk if the employee does not deliver expected results or exhibit the behaviour you want? What about informal rewards, such as learning opportunities on or off the job, challenging assignments that allow the employee to grow, recognition for a job well done, a positive work environment that gives job satisfaction and enjoyment? Is your reward system focused on the behaviours you like? If not change it. Examine your own behaviour. Is your behaviour contributing to the way your people are behaving? It is not always easy to link your own behaviours to the behaviours of those around you but it is essential that you identify the link and make appropriate changes in your own behaviour. If you do not change you will not be able to influence those around you to make the changes you desire. Be careful of silent rewards. You may be rewarding indirectly when you do nothing. Suppose an employee does not finish his tasks on time and you accept his excuses without challenging him, hoping that he gets it. But he does not get it and continues to be late. Your silence sends a message that it is acceptable to be late. You will also be sending this message to others - this is an acceptable behaviour. Before you know it, finishing tasks late becomes an acceptable behaviour for everyone in your
y
y
y
organization. y Create a reward system that is based on the understanding that people have different personalities and motivations. Although a financial reward is appreciated by almost everyone, it is not always the best. Some people may prefer growth and learning opportunities while others prefer public recognition and praise.
Your reward system must be fair. There is an old saying ³there is nothing more unequal than the equal treatment of unequals.´ I have known organizations which for political reasons treat everyone equally when it comes to rewards, fearing a backlash if they distinguished between individuals. This brings the opposite effect of what it intends to achieve. For your reward system to be seen as fair and just it has to reward each person according to their contribution to the results. This requires a measurement system that is clear and transparent. There are three steps to getting the desired results: y y y Clarify the expected results and desired behaviours. Provide the tools and competencies needed to get these results. Monitor, measure and reward what you desire.
You will get only the results and behaviours that you are seen to inspect, record and reward.
