The Good and Bad Side of Bonuses, Special Awards, Gifts and The Like

It's good to be recognized for hard work. Recognition may come in the form of a private pat on the back, public recognition, a raise, a one-time bonus, some sort of special gift (e.g., a plaque, trophy, even a trinket) - or all the above. Nothing wrong with any of this, of course.

If we had a choice, I suspect most of us would prefer the financial spiff over the back slap or being singled out for public recognition. But you take what you can get, I suppose.

If we put this in the context of stability in the workplace, rewards based on a merit-based standard are best. Those based on the individual discretion of a boss less so. In fact, favoritism or any kind, in my experience, tends to be disruptive, beginning with discontent on the part of those not on the list of favored employees. The merit-based standard avoids the perception that your reward has something to do with your being a personal favorite. 

You can see, I'm sure, why strictly merit-based rewards can contribute to stability in the workplace. Of course, even with a merit-based system, envy can simmer beneath the surface. Some folks just can't control their envy.

A personal example:

I worked for a small cable company in sales. Back then, the cable TV industry was built by local partnerships. The game was to build up the subscriber base and sell to one of the big guys. That's how giant cable companies grew. Our local partnership needed to build up their subscribers, so the sales boss needed more bodies to sell. We all trudged around doing our best. But one guy showed up and doubled, even tripled the results of the rest of the more experienced crew. Plus, he was a full-time teacher doing this on the side. There was a whiff of envy, along with a "How does he do it?" In the end, it came out he combined aggressive technique with questionable statements that misled the customers. ( The technique was foot-in-the-door - yeah back then you actually knocked on doors; there was no online marketing, no online anything! The misleading statements resulted in most of his customers quitting the service after their first free month).

A good boss needs to keep eyes and ears open for envy or resentment. Otherwise, the basically sound merit system can turn from reinforcing stability to some form of disruption.

But aside from rewards based on merit, there's something we might call the "wind and dine" business. Instead of receiving a reward for work well done, we're in the giving business. We schmooze prospects or expand existing business relationships with lunches, tickets to concerts, shows, and other events, events, etc. I've had to do some of this on behalf of my employer. I never liked it, but it was relatively harmless. 

In some instances, however, it's not. It can devolve into outright bribery, or it's cousin influence peddling. You'll find it in business and politics. Even when it's not strictly illegal, it fosters corruption. People stick their hands out; something of value is deposited. Want a favor? It'll cost you. Some may argue the point, but it always seemed unseemly to me, if not outright corrupt.

This can be a complicated subject, so we'll leave it at that. (And it's likely it won't be a contributor to stability in the workplace.)

St. Benedict believed in rewarding monks based on merit. But he was not a fan of gifts sent to his monks from the outside. Indeed, he was convinced that anything sent from outside could disrupt the peace and stability of the monastery:

"On no account shall a monk be allowed to receive letters, devout tokens, or any small gifts whatsoever , from his parent or any other people or his brethren, or to give the same, without the abbot's permission. But if he have been sent anything even by his parents, let him not presume to take it before it has been shown to the abbot...it shall be his to decide to whom it is to be given; and let not the brother, to whom it was sent, be vexed thereat. lest occasion be given to the devil... "

With his knowledge of human nature, and experience in dealing with the complex society known as a monastery, we see how and why gifts were verboten. 

Would that business and government could see this as clearly as our St. Benedict did. More so, would that our business and government leaders were always determined to root our bribery and corruption, even when the personal gain might be great. What a breath of fresh air that would bring to some workplaces, never mind our seemingly hopelessly corrupt federal government. 

St. Benedict for President!