Monday, January 28, 2008

You have been clamoring for salary increment... you think that salary increment will boost your output and general performance. Indeed, your dream came through. Your boss announces that salaries will be raised by 50% - the best ever in the history of your organization. The thought that readily comes to my mind when we get a major increase is that of self questioning – let us therefore search ourselves, if we really truly deserve the increment. Do you come to work and spend your time moving about…busy doing nothing.. or as I heard from a colleague of mine, “are you constantly in motion without movement”.

Salary Increment to me is not a period to rejoice, it is a period where we should engage in sober reflection, to check our actions and see if we are truly working hard or just coasting along waiting for another year end to come to ask for another salary increment. Soberly reflecting will not make a difference too, if we do not consciously change for the better and let our every action count towards the betterment of the organization.

Paul in admonishing Timothy (2 Timothy 2:2) asked him to commit what he has heard to faithful men who shall be able to teach others. Are we faithful with the things that have been committed into our hands? Do we do our jobs diligently? The little that is committed into our hands, how do we handle them? When we are faithful with little things, more will be committed into our hands. On one hand, yes, we may argue, everything is getting costlier, competition is strife than it has been in the past, increasingly, salaries are on the hike, the market place is looking for people with skills (and we have them, don’t we?). We feel like we have spent a long time on the job and thus deserve more than we are currently getting.

In my candid opinion, what truly brings increment in output and motivation goes beyond increase in salaries, it is being in a position of authority where we are able to do the things we really love to do, it is seeing and experiencing a certain level of growth as we go to work daily. We won’t feel comfortable when we keep doing the same thing over and over again for 2, 3, 4, 5 years. If this is the case, there is a problem! I personally feel that no amount of salary increment can bring about the job satisfaction we derive. It follows that the position we occupy by its very nature, makes it difficult to give our best. When we are not satisfied, then we are not, period.

Of course, salary increment would definitely help lift some financial burdens and, may be, keep us put for some time. On the other hand, I think it is not a good enough reason to just raise salary since it would deliver the message that as long as you keep working long enough (whether you are productive or not, whether you are comfortable with what you are doing or not) you will get that raise, eventually. This attitude is MEDIOCRITY in its highest form and we are not made like that. We are designed to give the world our best and leave a legacy in the minds of those coming after us.

The reason why bosses increase salaries is because they think our work performance will improve (maybe for a while) but ultimately, when we are not comfortable with what we are doing, we will find ourselves requesting for another pay rise in the next financial year. Even when performance improves, it will not make a difference if it does not hit the bottom-line. You know what I mean.

In summary, I am definitely in support of salary hike if it is accompanied by a system which continuously rewards and thus produces more hardworking, resourceful and proactive workers in your organization.

We need to put our hands on deck and begin to see our organizations as our very own.

All the best in 2008.
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