We are used to being treated as special customers, as individuals. We expect to be able to get exactly what we want, when we want it.
Naturally, our desire for treatment as special people, as individuals, comes to work with us.
You can see the effect in the recent growth of flexible benefit packages. You can swap pay for holiday, medical benefits or gym membership etc.
The availability of the flexible benefits does not depend on the day-to-day performance of the individual though. Neither does our immediate manager have any sway over the package. There is no link between our performance in the job and the benefits we receive. You get the benefits simply by turning up to work.
How do you reward people for performance in the job?
Our immediate manager may have very little flexibility in her treatment of us. There may be policies or procedures to ensure equitable treatment. Perhaps there is a fear of setting a precedent. Our manager’s freedom of action is restricted as a result.
Why should we, as employees, put in discretionary effort to help speed the job along, when our manager will not give anything in return?
Let me define discretionary effort. It is when we do a little more, take trouble to ensure things happen correctly, quickly or more sympathetically. It may mean missing five minutes of our lunch break to ensure that quotation goes out promptly. We do not expect monetary reward, but we do expect the effort noticed.
The ability to give non-standard rewards is one of the abilities that are lost to managers as organisations grow in size. The owner/manager can give someone the afternoon off. The manager in a bigger organisation is unlikely to have the same freedom of action.
We expect our small discretionary efforts noticed in a timely and relevant way.
How do you ensure your managers have the authority to reward the extra-special discretionary effort you want to encourage?
Are your policies and procedures stopping your people working harder?