This week I will discuss a situation in which compensation served as a motivating factor for me in the workplace.

Growing up I was a competitive gymnast and in high school, after I retired I began coaching. It was my first real and consistent job, before that I had covered coaching some classes and done camps here and there, but this was the first time I would have an actual schedule and group of kids to work with. I started near minimum wage but quickly earned some decent raises while the compensation was decent, I was going to school full time, working 30 hours a week in the off-season, and between 12-15 more hours during the season. I was spread incredibly thin and was drained but I was putting my all in for the kids I coached.

During the season, our pay for competitions was not part of our hourly so we would get it in a different check. This pay was definitely a motivating factor as they were generally high amounts. However, it would often take up to a month before we would see this check when we were supposed to get it on the first day back in the gym after the competition. We would have to constantly bug our manager to get our checks and having our money withheld for no reason and having to chase it down was definitely frustrating and led to many issues between me and management’s trust.

Eventually, I left as I transferred to OSU, but when COVID hit I was asked to come back in and help out as one of our coaches was leaving. I accepted the offer as I figured it would be good to save up some more money and while it could take time to get it, it was decent pay. However, every single check I had gotten was a different hourly wage. Any week could be more or less than the week prior, and this was done without my knowledge. I had brought it up a few times and my manager kept telling me she would fix it but she never did. Finally, I had enough of them not paying me what I deserved and constantly changing the amount and left as I was given another opportunity back up in Oregon.

I think part of the fact that I eventually left was due to the compensation not reflecting what I was putting in and constantly changing, but I think a big factor was my manager’s disregard for me and my time by not giving me a consistent wage and taking forever to get my check to me. I am still on good terms with them as people, but I do not see myself working for them in that capacity again.