My current position is a great example of how compensation was a motivating factor in my decision to change employers. As mentioned in lecture one of this week’s material, total rewards offered by employers can be a strong motivating factor that influences one’s decision to change field or jobs. I can say that the total rewards offered by my current employer, including both extrinsic and intrinsic rewards, were significant motivating factors in my decision to change employers.
Previously, I worked as a school nurse, it was a wonderful position for a individual that wanted to work part time, be home when her kids were home, and have relatively good medical benefits; however, there was no room for growth and almost no opportunities for overtime. When my husband was able to work full time, this was a great gig. I was able to bring my son to school with me and take him home at the end of the day, I had all holidays, and breaks off and I paid virtually zero out of pocket for monthly insurance premiums and the co-pays were excellent. This was fantastic until my husband was diagnosed with Leukemia. Initially the job offered what we needed to get through his initial treatments, but it quickly became apparent that my income was no longer sufficient as he could no longer work and I would never be able to advance my career with the district without going back to school.
I had a friend that had moved over to where I currently work, she recommended I apply for a position in her clinic. I did, she let her manager know, and I was ultimately brought me in for an interview. Though I was not offered the first position, I was offered another position in another clinic. Despite my concerns about leaving my previous position, I decided to change employers because my new employer offered much better extrinsic rewards – benefits, pension, and wages. After doing the math, my weekly earnings would be much higher. Even though I have to pay mandatory union dues and my hourly wage was less intially per hour, I knew after about a year, my hourly wage would exceed my max earning potential at my previous job so I decided to accept the job offer.
After accepting, I learned that in addition to the tuition reimbursement and training offered by my current employer, the union I was now a part offered wage replacement and tuition reimbursement which was even better. (this is a huge reason why I was able to go back to school and will be graduating this year!!)
A changed needed to be made for professional and personal growth. Ultimately, the position has proved very rewarding as moved into a lead role and now I am in the process of applying for administrative positions. I would have never considered making this move if it was not for the total reward system offered by my current employer.
As Mr. Pepper discusses in the New York Times Article“Paying Employees to Stay, Not to Go,” building a culture where employees feel valued is essential. If employees feel taken care of, it will translate to employees taking care of their customers (reenhouse & Strom, 2014). Ultimately, I believe the company I work for has the same belief system. They try to build a culture of appreciation, they want to see their employee succeed. By providing good wages, even better benefits, and opportunities for higher education and advancement in our careers, they are investing in us and our patients. The more we feel appreciated, the better work life balance we have, and the more training we have will translate, in most cases, to better patient care.
Honestly, the total rewards offered my employer are enough that I hope to continue to advance my career with this organization and retire from them in the future, they as the article title suggests, are “paying me not to go”.
References
Week 8 Lectures
Greenhouse, S., & Strom, S. (2014). Paying Employees to Stay, Not to Go. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/05/business/economy/boloco-and-shake-shack-offer-above-average-pay.html