“There is nothing wrong with a system of financial incentives to promote better and more efficient work.” Love the column but have some doubts about this sentence. In my experience as a union organizer, no management “right” was more abused than various forms of “merit” pay. Mostly workers do “better work” when treated with respect and w…
“There is nothing wrong with a system of financial incentives to promote better and more efficient work.” Love the column but have some doubts about this sentence. In my experience as a union organizer, no management “right” was more abused than various forms of “merit” pay. Mostly workers do “better work” when treated with respect and when they have security based in solidarity. Al Davidoff, Unionizing The Ivory Tower, Cornell Press
I’ve never heard an annual raise referred to as merit pay. Increases for longevity reward people for longevity, they don’t incentivize better work. There’s a capitalist competitive mind game premise to ideas around monetary incentivizing better work. In practice these approaches are rife with subjectivity and favoritism. Longevity bonuses, annual raises, even profit sharing don’t do that. As far as what does incentivize better work…I’d say respect, security, fairness, health and safety, decent wages and benefits. A strong union… In my experience, most workers want to do good work, it’s the absence of the aforementioned basics that strip away commitment once a worker sees it as a one way street.
Again- I’m with you on the whole column, just found that sentence odd.
“There is nothing wrong with a system of financial incentives to promote better and more efficient work.” Love the column but have some doubts about this sentence. In my experience as a union organizer, no management “right” was more abused than various forms of “merit” pay. Mostly workers do “better work” when treated with respect and when they have security based in solidarity. Al Davidoff, Unionizing The Ivory Tower, Cornell Press
I hear you but even union contracts have pay scales, pay increases for longevity, profit sharing, etc. Even annual raises are a form of merit pay.
I’ve never heard an annual raise referred to as merit pay. Increases for longevity reward people for longevity, they don’t incentivize better work. There’s a capitalist competitive mind game premise to ideas around monetary incentivizing better work. In practice these approaches are rife with subjectivity and favoritism. Longevity bonuses, annual raises, even profit sharing don’t do that. As far as what does incentivize better work…I’d say respect, security, fairness, health and safety, decent wages and benefits. A strong union… In my experience, most workers want to do good work, it’s the absence of the aforementioned basics that strip away commitment once a worker sees it as a one way street.
Again- I’m with you on the whole column, just found that sentence odd.