Regardless of what anyone says, employees invest their lives into organizations with the hope of making enough money to achieve their own financial goals. While research apparently disproves this fact, money is the driver that keeps people at work. Certainly the job environment, the types of contributions one can make, and the relationships that can be forged at work are important. Nevertheless, work is called that for a reason, and an appropriate level of financial compensation must accompany it. With that in mind, it is surprising that many managers tend to treat all employees the same way during their annual reviews.
While the distinctions between top performers and complete slackers can be clearly seen when reading their performance reviews, the financial differences between the two groups are often almost invisible. This reality can be confirmed in hallways and break rooms the day after annual increases are announced. Of course, one’s compensation is meant to be secret, but telling the world about their well-earned increase is something most reps can’t help but do.
During this “you tell me yours and I’ll tell you mine” post review discussion, it becomes clear that the difference between excelling for 12 months and contributing little more than carbon dioxide is a 1% raise. Adding insult to injury is the "small increase accompanied by a large promotion" (In title and responsibility) phenomenon prevalent in some call centers. These sad facts are easily avoidable reasons why many top performers leave the organization, while terrible employees seem to linger on….and what’s worse get promoted because all the good people have left.
--Cartoon from callcentercomics.com--
