I have been reading this thread when I have the time, and felt I had
to speak about some of *my* experiences with reward systems.
Roxanne Abas wrote "reward systems are generally designed as control
tools...they serve to limit the potential or even misdirect the
efforts of employees". I have to say, given my experience with such
programs, I have never found this to be the case. Granted, any reward
system must be carefully constructed, and seen to be fair and
equitable. Perhaps Roxanne is talking about when this is not the
case? If so, I would certainly agree with her view.
I have been a member of a number of organisations who have developed
reward systems as a simple means of saying "thank you" to the
employees for the work and effort they have contributed to the
company. Indeed, in most of these workplaces, the majority of staff
members would already find the company to be a pleasant place to work,
and would not describe their work as routine or unpleasant. In fact,
in the environments where I have seen reward systems to be well
received by all, the staff have had a high degree of autonomy (dare I
say it - empowerment????) to undertake their responsibilities. Hence,
employees have access to both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards.
Sometimes, when I read this discussion group (which, btw, I find to be
very thought provoking), I feel a twinge of sadness. Too often, we
speak of systems or "battles" that occur in the workplace, and forget
about how far organisations have come regarding employee relations.I
think it would be great to read about organisations that are
successfuly applying learning/development principles in the workplace,
or for that matter, that foster a positive organisational culture, or
provide benefits to the employees that all perceive to be of value to
them. I think its time to balance the books a little!
Thanks for taking the time to hear me out :) If you would like to
know more about the reward systems I have been a part of, please let
me know.
Regards
Leanne
lfaulkner@internet.fairfax.com.au
--"LFAULKNER" <lfaulkner@internet.fairfax.com.au>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>