A couple of years ago I was offered a position that seemed okay, but not great. It seemed like the pay was not great for the market position and that the bonus/benefits were not clear. With that being said, I still felt ecstatic and honored to be given the opportunity to work there and decided to take it. I gave it my all and would always go the extra mile to complete projects and volunteer my time and effort when needed. After a while, I noticed that I was stuck in this position and would not be given the chance for a higher role with better pay. This was a shock to me as I thought my hard work would be noticed and I would be compensated accordingly. After this, my behavior changed. I was still doing my job well, but I had a hard time going back to my old ways of volunteering time and always putting in the extra effort needed. This was when I realized that compensation was more than just money. It was seeing that a reward would be tied to my actions and that I was being recognized by the organization. I saw that when performance is linked to compensation, it is natural to put more effort in because you know that you will be rewarded. Going forward I still am working as hard as I can and fulfilling my core values, but I would be lying if I said that I am not more conscious to my actions because of pay. That is part of the system that we all work in and things that are learned when in the workplace. This experience has taught me that compensation is more than just pay and that the organization you are with sets up the system to feel rewarded. When you have an organization that sets your work up to be compensated for performance, while also not having to donate time and effort, the individuals behavior and performance is better.
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