Right after I wrote Loopholes is back, I hesitated to continue blogging right away because I was still evaluating the sustainability of my current lifestyle that includes investing, work and etc. Granted, budgets are usually tight for good reasons and employees are often squeezed to raise productivity. However, at the end of the day, I feel that fairness must be maintained to ensure that employees stay motivated and driven. So fairness in what sense? I think every employee should always ask their employers a simple question to understand if there are treated fairly and that question is, “Can you replace my competencies with another new hire or colleague at the same rank and pay? If the reply from your superiors is excuses and weak justifications then you know you are not treated fairly. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job, but I just cannot wrap my head around the fact people are constantly valued incorrectly in real work. As an investor, that is akin to bidding for an asset, which is priced fairly, at a discount, and considering it reasonable. In today’s post, I would like to share my views on how such situations can lead to horrible outcomes.
It is important to be reasonable with yourself
The next person who tells me to “suck my thumb” should read this paragraph seriously because you are likely one of those actors who perpetuates unfairness in a company. First off, allow me to qualify the situation in a normal company. A normal company is one that is able to continue hiring staff of different ranks and pay and on top of that is able to justify keeping experienced employees. I am not referring to cash-strapped start-ups or companies on the verge of collapsing. I am also aware that since the economy is not doing so well, it would be incredibly silly to expect salaries to be matched based on how much your peers are paid in other companies even if they are playing a similar role. Such comparisons are not only unreasonable but childish because the person who is paid more would not have asked for a pay cut. Hence, it cannot be a logical justification for a pay adjustment in such a situation. Instead, I think it is only reasonable to ask your superiors to grade you based on your capabilities across the rest of the company.
No one should endure being undervalued
The feeling of being consistently undervalued is not only damaging to an employee, it also discourages them to step up any further to value add to the work they do. Assuming that the undervalued staff is reasonable, he or she will probably refrain from contributing not solely because of the unfair treatment but also because of the added responsibilities that will come when they propose a new idea. What management does not want to admit is that executives are usually given the opportunity to do more at their own cost. At this point, I would like to emphasize that managers that expect their staff to use intrinsic motivations to sustain their drive at work should seriously reconsider. While I understand that every employee with promise must want to advance the work together with the rest of the team. Asking them to rely on intrinsic motivations is simply unsustainable in the long run.
How to stay realistic without being shortchanged at work
There is no one size fit solution when one is being shortchanged but I will try to share one effective method to alleviate the situation. For starters, recognize the problem and stop perpetuating it. Yes, it is true that many of us are unable to solve or escape the situation at work sometimes. Whether it is due to familial commitments or the fact that you love the job, you must first sound your issues out and let it be known so that the right people know about them. At the same time, try to maintain your work performance and avoid dwelling on it and spiraling downwards as it will only cause more problems. Lastly, find ways to take breaks from your job when you are feeling burnt out from the unfairness that you face on a daily basis. That should help you tide past the discomfort until the matter is resolved by your superiors or before you find a better job opportunity.
Closing Thoughts
My main agenda for writing this post is to state the obvious that is happening in almost every company in the world. Needless to say, I do not expect absolute fairness in an unfair world but it will be unwise to be a part of the force that sustains it. I hope that more people will stand up for their rights and ask reasonably for restitution so that newer policies can be phased in to look after those who are less likely to sound out.
