Good News/Bad News

Well, the good news is, I probably won't be working at the grocery store for much longer. The bad news is you don't get to hear tales from the other side of the till anymore. Sorry. I'm not willing to live my life so that it is interesting for others to read about (especially since I'm not certain it's that interesting to read about).

I had an interview with someone at King's, my former employer, about a part time administrative assistant position. It sounds like a good fit with my experience and skills set, and it sounds like there's a lot of room for input and creativity, so I'm pretty excited about it. It also seems to fit right in with our family's schedule and needs, which was paramount, so all in all I think it will work out well. Nothing's final yet, so I don't want to give out details just yet, but I'll let you all know when I know.

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On another related, but different note...

As I was thinking about the possibility of this new job and the hours that I might want to work and the salary I might expect, I became rather frustrated with our current basic employment structure. That is, until you reach a point where you're a salaried employee or self-employed, our current employment structure rewards attendance and little else. Employers are really at the mercy of their employees' goodwill to perform to a certain standard, especially in the job market I find myself in, where so many employers are seeking staff. And salaried employees are probably even worse off because usually the work load is so high, they rarely see the benefit of being able to do their jobs efficiently and get a bit of a break.

And that's what I'm looking for here. I would like to get paid for the work that I accomplish and not simply the hours I clock. I would like to get a break if my work is done before the day is. I'd be willing to put in extra hours to complete a job, but wouldn't it be great to go home early when the job is done and not be docked pay for efficiency?

After my first year of college, I mowed lawns for a landscaping company. It was a pretty good summer job: I got in great shape, I got a tan, I got to be outside all day. But it didn't matter how good I got at mowing the lawns, how fast I got at turning them, I still got paid at the same hourly rate. And if I mowed all the scheduled lawns that day and there was still day left at the end of them, I joined the landscaping crew and worked some more, at the same hourly rate. My employers got a good employee, but there was little benefit for me, other than being welcomed back with open arms whenever I needed a little extra work. I have a pretty strong work ethic. I don't care to stand around bored; I'd work at work, but it's frustrating that I don't see any monetary benefit greater than the slacker worker gets. I suppose my work ethic earns me respect and good references, which in the long term will contribute to monetary success in my career. I do enjoy challenging myself and the praise of others is still of value.

There should be a different way of motivating employees. There are more creative ways that competent, creative and energetic people can be rewarded for their efficiency and contributions, and not just with more work. There are many benefits in a work environment that go beyond wages for hours clocked. In order to keep employees in a difficult job market, employers need to rethink the structure by which they operate with their employees. They need to think about the resources they have available to them to motivate their employees and reward competency instead of just attendance. Simple things like

1. a half hour of paid time at the end of a busy week
2. opportunities to earn rewards such as gift certificates or extra vacation hours to employees with good speed and accuracy at their jobs;
   
3. having a set amount of work to be done in a day/week and when you're done, you can go home.

If there were incentives for completing work with excellence and speed, perhaps we would see less Internet-surfing and extended coffee breaks. But it can't just be "oh, everyone can go home early today!" That doesn't do anything. Everyone might think you're a nice boss, but no one's going to be motivated to work more efficiently for you. These incentives would be best used if employees knew up front what to expect, what to work for. Randomly giving your employee the afternoon off with pay won't necessarily get your a more productive worker, because they have no idea what it's for. They won't know if it's because you noticed them working hard or if you just want to go home, too, and felt bad for everyone else.

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So, there's my perspective as a lowly employee. Who knows if anyone important will ever get around here. What would motivate you to work to your potential?