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Almost every company has that go-to person who seems to always deliver good quality work, and on time.
They always seem to have it all together and they are often the boss’ favorite employees.
We can’t really blame the boss though. Who doesn’t want to be surrounded by a reliable team that gets things done?
I’m sure some of us are those kinds of employees.
Because you have a reputation for delivering exactly what is needed there is a potential that those in charge will unconsciously serve you some performance punishment as a result of unconscious bias.
Once you find yourself in that situation, it might be difficult to understand exactly what is happening.
Simply put, this is punishment disguised as a reward or compliment that is given to the best-performing individuals.
It is an unconscious, exploitative tactic used by those in charge to get the highest output at the expense of a single individual.
At first, the person receiving performance punishment might feel good as they are made to believe that they are better than everyone else around them.
Sadly, while this person is expected to come back from holiday sooner than everyone else in the office, the ‘incompetent’ employees are at home enjoying a great time with their families and loved ones.
In most companies, employees work as a team for the ultimate goal. Each team member has their own role and all roles are essential for the achievement of the desired outcome. Usually, the top-performing employee is viewed in high regard and considered the most important one.
This is because should the rest of the team slack, they are in a position to single-handedly uplift everyone.
Because you are ‘capable”, all the difficult tasks (and those beyond your scope of work) that no one wants to deal with will end up on your desk.
Since you are able to finish your work earlier than everyone else, you end up doing more simply because you have more time left on your work schedule.
Those in charge expect you to do more. They have high standards for you in comparison to everyone else on the team.
However, when you fail to do more than everyone else and are unable to take on the extra work, there is a problem. It feels like you have an unwritten obligation to take on more work than you initially signed up for.
I know some people who only work four days a week. They complete their work well in advance and can have an extra day (or at least half a day) to themselves. When you are experiencing performance punishment you will not have that privilege.
On that extra day, you will be expected to do more. The manager will be able to get much from you simply because you are capable.
The purpose of this article is not to discourage anyone from being productive and reliable. Rather, it is to help those that put in the work get what they deserve. And, help those in leadership positions get some insight into how what they might view as a complement might actually be a punishment that could have detrimental effects on good employees.
From an employee perspective, performance punishment should never be the order of the day for anyone. Once you notice that your scope of work is expanding, use that as a stepping stone to advance your career. If your boss thinks you can do work that should be done by more than one person, then you are clearly capable and should be paid as such.
Organize a meeting with whoever is in charge and let them know that you appreciate them adding more stuff to your plate, but they should also consider giving you a promotion or changing your job title so that you get paid for the value you are bringing.
From an employer's perspective, it might be difficult to notice that you are making your employee take on roles that are beyond their pay grade.
I hope this article helped you get a bit of insight regarding how you are treating the people who keep your company or organization moving on.
If an employee is fulfilling their role well and they are capable of taking on more tasks, have a chat with them and officially propose expanding their scope of work (and salary). Punishing your well-performing employees will over time result in resentment, burnout and ultimately, resignation.
We all put so much into improving ourselves so that we can be productive and high-value individuals. Our efforts need to be recognized and appreciated. We need to be around people who value what we have to offer.
Life is too short to stay where we are undervalued and unappreciated.
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Full of some insights
Thanks Umesh 🙂