Whom Do We Reward?

Whom Do We Reward?

Before we begin, let’s answer this question in your mind and revisit it at the end of the topic.

So most expected answer for this question (more so from corporate world), “We reward top Performer”. But if I say, in reality, most of us, many times, Reward Inefficient or to be more precise, to use word from banking parlance, Willful Defaulter and corollary to it, we punish efficient or sincere, many times. I can see strong “NO” from most of the readers, but let’s see few situations.

Very familiar situation. Group of friends, going for picnic. Meeting point and time is communicated to everyone. Person A gets up early makes all adjustments in a hurry and reach there bang on time or even before that (as they say “Problem in being punctual is that, there is no one to admire it”). AND guess what, Person B, without caring much for time, takes extra hour of sleep and reach at meeting point leisurely an hour late. Now both enjoy same picnic spots and also miss same spots due to delay. Difference is, Person B even though Inefficient or Willful Defaulter is rewarded with extra hour of sleep while Person A who is sincere is deprived of equal amount of sleep. Does Person B get any punishment? SELDOM

Another situation, Siblings in family. A is very sincere and obedient. B is clever in avoiding household work, sometimes by vanishing at the time of work. Next time, when parents have some work, who will be directly assigned with that work? No prize for guessing. A is being assigned with more work (punishment?) and B enjoys leisure time (Reward?). Rarely any other punishment or reward takes place to reverse it. Most of the time, it will continue as it is.

Let’s move to corporate world, where we have highly refined, Rewards and Recognition policies in place. But here also, many times, we can see same thing. I am not talking about Super performer and Non Performer. I am talking about Good Performer and (Willful) slow performer. If A can complete 10 things and then B (knowingly) will do only 7 or 8. A will keep getting new work because he has finished earlier whereas B will not, because, he is still finishing it. Many times, the difference is so subtle; that A will not get any recognition or B any stick, for such difference. To make matter worse, if B is smooth talker or good at selling himself, then he will get reward for completing such HARD (because B has convinced so) work. But in reality, at the end of the 5th day, A will be assigned with his 51st assignment whereas B will be assigned with only 36th. (That reminds me a quote in one cartoon strip, where one employee is advising other “Those who work, Get more work, and those who doesn’t, Get reward, recognition and pay hike”).

This applies to Individuals, Society and Country equally. Some one buying home legally has to pay steep per sq. ft. rate and on top of that all types of duties and taxes, charges and surcharges. On the other hand, just encroach a land, build slum and you get free house and some money too. Punishment for being legal and Reward for being illegal? If you jump the traffic queue then you move early But you obey queue discipline then you get delayed due to other “intruders”.

This list can go on and on and on. But the question is, “Can we stop this?” and answer is “Yes, certainly”. But to achieve that, we, each one of us, have to make sure that at every level and every time, such defaulters are punished and Performers are rewarded.  Hence it is so important that, at each stage and each situation we ask ourselves “Whom Do We Reward? “

Three Cheers for Our Luck

We are luckiest people in the whole world. We should feel proud about our luck. So Much so that we should celebrate that. Don’t believe me? Soon you will.

Now a days, we have got used to, to bad news so much that we hold news paper and straight away start looking for latest scam, accident, corruption, bad roads, bad public transport, bad infrastructure, bad system, bad this and bad that……… But don’t feel so bad about it because we are very very very lucky people.

Today Just came across news about some malpractices by Navi Mumbai builders regarding FSI rule violation. But most of the builders in Navi Mumbai are anyway known for such practices. If not FSI violation then selling flats with invisible area under name of super, duper, built up, scrap down areas and other imaginative title and so…..and why only Navi Mumbai, even in Mumbai things are not much different.

Just take an example. As per Fire department’s guidelines every building must have separate external staircase for Fire Escape. Without that, Fire Dept. does not give its clearance and building does not deemed fit for stay. Hence they do not get O.C. (Occupation Certificate). But 99 % of residential building does not have separate staircase for Fire Escape. (That explains why most of the building does not have OCs) but still BMC allows builders to let people occupy building. (Only many new commercial buildings have external fire escape, that too because commercial client normally demand this)

But most of the people do not understand its ramification. Suppose person stays on 3rd or 4th floor and fire catches up at 1st floor. That person will come to know, only when smoke will start entering into his house. That means by this time, whole staircase, lobby everything is already filled up with smoke. Obviously lift cannot be used. While trying to go down to escape smoke, through only staircase which is, almost all the time, internal and filled with thick smoke, within seconds (and much earlier than you expect) person will fall unconscious even before reaching to 1st floor. And if he doesn't get immediate help, within next few minutes, he will be dead, even without actually getting burn from fire.

If this is a case with some one staying on just 3rd or 4th floor, just imagine, what is chance of survival for people staying on higher floors? And we have building with 15,20, 25, 30 floors with same danger present all the time (and add to that, most of the time, people are not trained about how to respond in emergency situations or whenever  such training takes place, it is not taken seriously by people) .

But we are very very lucky people. Just like we survive because terrorist don't feel like striking too often (yeah, if empty ship can reach to our shore without any problem after sailing for more than a month, why not terrorist), similarly we are lucky that fire mishap doesn't happen too often. Otherwise, in both cases, we are sitting duck.

Three Cheers for Our Luck !!!