There are many instances where compensation plays a role in one’s motivation. Whether it’s staying at a job where you are unhappy, but are making ends meet, or your motivation simply stems from the desire to be payed more.
An instance that has always stuck out to me was a few years ago at my part time job. Aside from the top management, just about everyone was a college student. This made for a lot of growth room for young employees.
A coworker of mine was offered a promotion to assistant manager. Although this was a great offer and we were all proud, it caused an internal struggle for my coworker. She was now trying to juggle a full course load of college classes, as well as assistant manage an entire shop, which requires a huge time commitment. Normally, each of these responsibilities would be enough on their own. My coworker was struggling to decide how much she could handle, but was highly motivated to put all of this on her plate simply because the position was paid more than a typical employee. This increased compensation motivated her, because like most college students, she was willing to stretch herself thin in order to afford college life.