If you are paying for it you may have already failed

As I wrote this post we were in the midst of the deadly COVID19 pandemic. We were a few days into a government imposed lockdown and many organizations were posting pictures and articles of their heroes who were risking their lives to keep the economy going. As this phenomenon unfolded I started wondering to myself whether simple gratitude and platitudes were enough to generate enough goodwill to get people to risk their lives for an organisation or a country on a day to day basis. Was the emotional investment these companies has made in their employees so valuable? If so this would be a wonderful case study in terms of the economic value of an engaged workforce.

Unfortunately, this bubble burst very quickly when one of the country’s largest retailers announced that it had set aside millions to be paid to staff as a sort of thank you bonus over the period. It was their only way of convincing their staff to work. To give them money.

Across the retail sector, employees who were happy to work before were suddenly not and the threat of strikes reverberated throughout the industry. Most retailers that were still open capitulated with staff being awarded their own versions of danger pay or risk bonuses. PS/I do support these payments wholeheartedly though.

But that is not the actual story here! The actual story is that it became clear to me that typically when we have to pay for something as an external motivator it shows we may have already lost. If the only way one can get people to go over and above for you is to give them more money then no goodwill actually exists. There is no intrinsic motivation and the relationship is potentially transactional at its best.

There are numerous examples. Think of lavish overseas incentives for sales staff to over achieve their targets. Think of people who choose to pay for sex and intimacy. Think of government officials that agree to only do the right thing if their palms are greased. Think of friends who only agree to join you for drinks if you are paying. Think of the banker who is very keen to offer you products you don’t need when you are employed, but cannot offer you any sort of help when you lose to your job. Think of the employee whose only reason for working for you is the retention bonus. Or that irrational counter offer…make them an offer they can’t refuse. If giving someone money is the only way you can get someone to do something, perhaps something is wrong?

As someone trying to raise a family and generate a little wealth I don’t underplay the role that money plays in my life. Many of the middle class and upper class are still one paycheck away from poverty. However, my goal today really is to challenge everyone that money is not the be all and end all of human motivation. If money is all that’s left and that’s the only leverage you have left. You have actually already failed.