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Small signals of appreciation have a decisive influence on the output and quality of the work of employees. A field experiment of KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology) economist Petra Nieken and two colleagues revealed that a combination of performance-oriented piece wage and motivating words increases the performance by 20% and reduces the error rate by 40%.
"Our results are relevant to entrepreneurial practice," Nieken emphasizes. She holds the Chair for Human Resources Management of KIT's Institute of Management. How can staff members be motivated? Theory lists two instruments: Financial incentives, such as bonuses or piece wages, and the capability of executives to motivate their staff members. The question whether and how these two instruments complement, strengthen or weaken each other, however, is not clearly answered by theory. That is why this question was in the focus of the study performed at Bonn University.
(Score: 3, Informative) by srobert on Thursday October 22 2015, @04:15PM
I get paid a very good salary, so I'm not complaining about that. My employer had never had layoffs until last year. It was only then that we found out that the policies in the employee handbook indicating that seniority would be a major consideration were nothing but lip service. For the past year I've been having nightmares about it. I might be developing an ulcer. I'm getting a bit too old to go look for another job. At least I don't think I'd find one with out taking an enormous pay cut. Yet I'm still many years from being ready to retire. Tenure should count. It's really difficult to collaborate without it. People are trying to protect themselves here by hoarding knowledge. I'd take a substantial pay cut right now, if I knew that management wasn't going to pull the same crap in the future. And I know I'm not the only one who feels that way about it.
(Score: 2) by srobert on Thursday October 22 2015, @04:59PM
That second to last sentence should have read:
I'd take a substantial pay cut right now, in exchange for knowing that management wasn't going to pull the same crap in the future.
(Score: 3, Informative) by turgid on Thursday October 22 2015, @07:35PM
Indeed, and it never works like that. I've worked for three very large "big name" companies now, and when the down-sizing starts as a one-off for the first time, the do it just once more, and just once more again, and then again...
Eventually critical mass is lost (loyalty, senior staff, institutional knowledge) and the whole thing gets wound up. Maybe not the whole company closes, but the department or office might.
They only stop the madness when the wheels finally fall off the wagon, but then it's too late because everyone's either gone, going or worked themselves sick.
If they introduce stack ranking, where everyone is ranked in order against their peers, run for the hills. It never ends well. Morale plummets, team work goes out the window, good people get fired just because they need someone to fit the arbitrary bell cure.
The investors demand a return on their investment, and we've got to keep paying our investors, they say. Well, fine. But if slowly starving the goose that's laying the golden eggs is the only trick they have left, run.
It's hard work in terms of time, effort and stress finding a new job, and these days it happens far too frequently. But don't be too despondent, it is possible, it just takes time. Start looking early and get some practice in. And never take a pay cut.
I refuse to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent [wikipedia.org].
(Score: 3, Insightful) by darkfeline on Friday October 23 2015, @12:46AM
>I'm getting a bit too old to go look for another job.
The market has decided that you are not needed. Aren't you happy?
Long live the current economic system!
Seriously speaking though, yes, the market has decided that a large proportion of the population is not needed. The current economic system has decided that the people who are not needed can go and starve. The people with money have decided that they don't care. The government has decided to listen to what the people with money say. Such is modern unprogress.
Join the SDF Public Access UNIX System today!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 23 2015, @03:41AM
The people who are really to blame are the morons who keep voting in representatives who not only don't represent them but actively work to harm them, economically and otherwise. I'll never understand why anyone who isn't a multi-millionaire would vote Republican.