This week’s discussion is all about compensation and benefits and how they may influence one’s behavior. This topic led me to think about a time where my behavior was influenced by an alteration in my pay scale. I was working a seasonal job that off and on for a few years and I had gotten a raise every time I came back to work. This increase in pay every time I returned made me desire to work that job every summer and winter more and more. It also increased my morale and motivation to do a better job in the workplace.

I think this increased motivation and behavior was a direct result of my compensation. Personally, it felt good to be recognized for my hard work and ambition to return to work each school break. One could say that I received extrinsic and intrinsic rewards because of the increased compensation. This means that I obtained tangible monetary effects and intangible psychological effects from the compensation received. The extrinsic reward I received was the raise each time I came back for work. Every time I came back it was usual for the company to give me around 30 to 60 cent raise. The intrinsic benefit from this was the increased motivation, morale, and drive to do a better job.

Overall, I think relating my experience to this week’s topic of work compensation and benefits made me realize how effective a good compensation plan can be. If a company develops a good compensation plan they will most likely have increased retention and employee productivity.

Source:

M. Swift – Week 7 Learning Material