Student blog for MGMT 453- Human Resources Management
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished (or Unpaid).
When I think of times where I was motivated by compensation, it wasn’t ever the only factor. In comparing my work in food service versus now a social services position, I was actually getting paid more at my food service job but I absolutely hated it.
In my food service job, I struggled to feel supported by management, I wasn’t passionate about the work I was doing, and they were always asking me to come in early and stay late. I kept willing myself to go because I needed to support myself financially, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a mental battle every time I had to go in for a shift. On days I was working I was constantly plagued by anxiety and spent the time counting down until I could leave. At this job, I was really only extrinsically motivated for finances, and not much else. When I got the opportunity to do something that I loved, working with kids, I put in my 2 weeks for food service almost immediately.
In this new role, I was under immense emotional stress due to the nature of social work, I worked 9 sometimes 10 hour shifts and did most all of it with a smile on my face because I felt passionate about the work I was doing. In this job, monetary compensation was a cool side effect of getting to make a positive impact on children’s lives, and it made all the hard stuff worth it.
Its these experiences I’ve had that have made me a firm believer that there are other more impactful ways to motivate people to get work done, either by inspiring purpose, creating a safe and welcoming workspace, or making work not feel like work. Of course, in the real world pay is incredibly important when you’re fully responsible for your own rent, bills, student loans, and so on… but in today’s day and age, there are jobs that pay in every direction you look. So, it’s up to companies to further incentivize with factors beside money.
What do you think?
