Shooter Grrl Posted May 28, 2003 Share Posted May 28, 2003 We're discussing rewards and motivation and we need to determine the #1 reward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lynn jones Posted May 28, 2003 Share Posted May 28, 2003 shooter girl, it's been my experience, that most people want the money and the praise. they remember the praise later, but want the money now. it's like, what have you done for me lately? lynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shooter Grrl Posted May 28, 2003 Author Share Posted May 28, 2003 My official answer was a cash bonus presented in front of peers But my class mates felt that the cash wasn't necessary - and they definitely want praise in front of their peers. Weird people Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j1b Posted May 28, 2003 Share Posted May 28, 2003 Living in a corporate culture - I'd like to give my spin on this. Today, praise is expected. As a leader you are expected to praise and by virtue of that you are more likely to be critisized for not praising than rewarded for praising. It is expected, and I believe things fall apart without it. A second point is that it is simply a sign of human respect - which we all deserve. Based on this - I think the money is actually the above and beyond. I voted for the bonus. JB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianH Posted May 28, 2003 Share Posted May 28, 2003 I'll tell you what kills motivation....three years of "you've been doing great, no complaints, but the company can't afford raises....". That has just gotten TOO old..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigDave Posted May 28, 2003 Share Posted May 28, 2003 What is really missing in today's society is the lack of feedback. A pure statement of observed fact (observation) and then a honest opinion (assessment) of that fact. "You're doing a nice job" doesn't tell me squat. What is that I'm doing that is good? What am I not doing so well on? Where can I improve specifically? That is feedback, demand it and the $$$ will roll in. Feedback is what drives me. If you have a personal work ethic and an inner need to excel in whatever you do, the $$$ part will take care of itself. And if it doesn't, you're in the wrong place. That is how I look at it, right or wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted May 28, 2003 Share Posted May 28, 2003 Just gimme the friggin money and I'll praise myself for a job well done. I don't shoot for the recognition either.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Di Vita Posted May 28, 2003 Share Posted May 28, 2003 Here is the key. Praise is only worthy when you RESPECT the man or woman who is giving it. I can get praise from people I barely know all day long and I appreciate it, but it's not that big of a deal. However if I get praise from my mentor, it goes straight to the engine. If your boss is truly a leader (follows Maxwell's 21 laws of leadership) then I would rather have praise. This is assuming that the work you are doing is towards the goals you want to achieve. Ya follow? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3quartertime Posted May 28, 2003 Share Posted May 28, 2003 I agree with Jake here. IF I respected my boss and felt that his/her praise was of value I would take it over a small bonus. BUT,,, after many years in the job market I've found only a handful of bosses that even come close to earning respect. By default I take the cash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Run n Gun Posted May 28, 2003 Share Posted May 28, 2003 Honest praise from someone I respect is always nice. However, I monitor my performance closer than anyone and can pat my own back (or kick my own butt) if necessary. A bonus, especially an unexpected bonus, is real and tangible it COSTS more than words… it’s a reward, recognition for a job well done, a trophy if you will. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liota Posted May 28, 2003 Share Posted May 28, 2003 First, I would take the cash. No doubt about it. It is tangible. It is not, "You're doing great. Keep up the good work." Those are two of the most useless phrases in the English language. Most of you guys have it right. The praise is great, but the money is better since you know the motive behind it. Shooter Grrl, you are right on the money. I want the presentation in front of my peers. The military cannot give money to its enlisted members for a job well done. It CAN give time off. Last year I received seven days off for my time spent with the base police right after September 11, 2001. Everyone around me knew about it and why. I loved it. The time off was WAY better than any trinket to put on my uniform, which is what they usually give for that (although, the point toward promotion isn't bad either. ) Just my $.02, Liota Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TBF Posted May 28, 2003 Share Posted May 28, 2003 Words is words. Cash is cash. Travis F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted May 28, 2003 Share Posted May 28, 2003 SG, Soundslike you might want to adapt the question. From the feedback here..."praise from the boss" sounds kinda empty. (doesn't mean the same thing to everybody either) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dajarrel Posted May 28, 2003 Share Posted May 28, 2003 If my boss gives me a cash bonus, he will typically give the good words as well, but not necessarily the other way around Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistral404 Posted May 28, 2003 Share Posted May 28, 2003 I would like to provide some context to my answer: I have a masters in administration, worked for large heath care companies, Big 4/5 Accounting & Consulting, Federal and State Governments, small consulting companies. The number 1 motivator day in and day out is public recognition by upper management. The industries I have worked in are always in a budget crunch so with the exception of the Big 5, raises were always small. So pay could not be the prime motivator. I have worked on or managed projects from H@#^^LL. The difference in morale was always related back to how the project manager or team lead treated the staff. Those who praised alot, especially in public got a team with a better attitude who was always willing to put in extra effort. Morale killer, bosses who praises but delegate all the crap work and never ever stays late when the team is making a push to met a deadline. As Demo Dick says, you lead from the front, your team will follow your example. All the job satisfaction surveys in the last 15 years put money as number 2, 3, or 4 on the list of motivators. Job satisfaction is number 1. That said, on a personal basis, I will only take a crummy job/boss if the pay is high enough, I have taken pay cuts to work on great projects or for great bosses. There is a direct relationship for me between job satisfaction and pay. The higher on the stress factor the boss the higher the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted May 28, 2003 Share Posted May 28, 2003 Money can't buy everything, that's true. But what it can't buy, I can't use. Give me money, that's what I want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted May 28, 2003 Share Posted May 28, 2003 I agree with Travis - words are words, cash is cash. Moreover, the variables often present in the words realm make it difficult to compare the two. be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted May 28, 2003 Share Posted May 28, 2003 Just try paying the rent with nice words from the boss for most of your life! I'm not into that any more!!! Praise is nice but words are horribly cheap. Thank you, Nik. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j1b Posted May 29, 2003 Share Posted May 29, 2003 Obviously everyone is voting for the money - and I think that's realistic. The topic of respect for the boss is critical and valid. Servant leadership is key, as is honesty and integrity. Also - I may not necessarily want someone to tell me I do a good job. I work hard, I know I do good work. What I do want is a "Thanks" That (to me) goes futher - and that's what I do with the people that work for me. One key thing - is that a bonus should be just that - a bonus. Banking on that sucker to pay bills or rent is kind of bass ackwards to me. A bonus should be additional monies - above and beyond what you would ordinarlily bank on. That is the money I would be going after. JB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted May 29, 2003 Share Posted May 29, 2003 If your boss is truly a leader (follows Maxwell's 21 laws of leadership) then I would rather have praise. TIS, Where could I find Maxwell's 21 Laws of Leadership? Sounds fascinating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Di Vita Posted May 29, 2003 Share Posted May 29, 2003 It's actually a book written by John C. Maxwell. entitled, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. It is a MUST read for anyone in a management or leadership position. He has written many other books as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted May 29, 2003 Share Posted May 29, 2003 Well...for what it's worth (coming from me)...i think yuo all are doing a great job of answering these questions!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSeevers Posted May 29, 2003 Share Posted May 29, 2003 SHOW ME THE MONEY!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimel Posted May 29, 2003 Share Posted May 29, 2003 In these days of shrinking budgets a cash bonus or a raise actually means far more than verbal praise. Where I work there have not been any raises for 4 years and not likely to be any for another 2 (we work on a biennial budget and there are no raises in the new budget). So, people have started to play fast and loose with the verbal praise and new job title stuff. This has devalued the verbal praise to be meaningless and a new title simply means "here is a new title and a whole bunch more work to go with it but there isn't any money for a raise." Gone are the days, I fear, where one could bust one's butt and expect the boss to even give a damn. Now days everyone is so focused on the bottom line that they really don't even know their employees or care if they are okay or not. How many big companies have we seen do massive layoffs simply to get the stock price up so the upper level management can sell off their shares for a tidy profit. In my parent's day it was not uncommon for someone to graduate from college, go to work for a company and stay there for 40 years until they retired to a nice, safe pension. Now, in America the average person moves ever 3.5 years and changes jobs almost as frequently. I honestly think that there is no longer any such animal as a "career" for most people. We all just hold a job (if we are lucky). Only those employeed in very small companies or who work for themselves have anything that might qualify as a "career'. In the mid 1980s I worked for a small firm that had less than a dozen employees. It was owned by a German couple that came to the US in the 1950s with nothing but a good work ethic and a burning desire to make good in their new country. I swear that I got a bigger kick out of Peter coming over to my office with a couple cold beers, telling me I did a great job and sitting around yacking for a few minutes than I have ever gotten out of any praise or raise since. He cared, I knew it, and it made me work that much harder. And they call this progress.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasonub Posted May 29, 2003 Share Posted May 29, 2003 MO MONEY MO MONEY!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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