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Oct. 25th, 2003 11:09 amToday is Pungenday, day 6 in the season of The Aftermath, 3269.
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dailysoulsearch:
If I'm doing something at work, it certainly wouldn't occur to me to expect extra payment for something that's part of my job (unless you're talking something like some comp time for the extra hours put in while working on it). Recognition is nice though, either public or private. I admit that I really like having someone say "thank you for your efforts" when I've done something major and have put a lot of time into it. There are several people I work with who are very good about doing just that, and I appreciate it a lot. In fact, I'm usually happier to take on large projects for people who I know will appreciate the work that I put into whatever I'm working on for them. This is not to say that others don't appreciate it, but they don't tend to say anything about it; I don't know if the thought process is along the lines of "well, it is your job, after all" or not. I try to thank people when I know they've done a lot of hard work as well; for example, on the most recent project I just finished I had a lot of help from someone at our PR firm. Quite frankly, she worked her ass off on the section of the project she was handling, and I made sure she knew just how much I appreciated her hard work (not least because it meant that I didn't have to do that particular task ;) ).
While I am often happier about tackling projects for people who recognize others' hard work, I don't think it makes a difference in the level of effort I put into the tasks either way. I will work harder on projects that interest me or stretch my skills, whether I get my "pat on the head" or not. My mental state at the time also has some influence; if I'm depressed, my level of effort decreases all around, and I'm more likely to get discouraged when I find a stumbling block. Let's also not forget the motivating force of "that's going out with your name on it", which is a fair amount of inspiration for doing the best job you can on something. There are some kinds of recognition that are not so good. ;)
Today's
dailysoulsearch:When you finish an important task (for instance, at work) is it more important to you receive payment for what you've done, or recognition? Does it motivate you to receive a reward, or would you work equally hard just for the sake of doing the best job you can do, even if there were never any extra payment or recognition?
If I'm doing something at work, it certainly wouldn't occur to me to expect extra payment for something that's part of my job (unless you're talking something like some comp time for the extra hours put in while working on it). Recognition is nice though, either public or private. I admit that I really like having someone say "thank you for your efforts" when I've done something major and have put a lot of time into it. There are several people I work with who are very good about doing just that, and I appreciate it a lot. In fact, I'm usually happier to take on large projects for people who I know will appreciate the work that I put into whatever I'm working on for them. This is not to say that others don't appreciate it, but they don't tend to say anything about it; I don't know if the thought process is along the lines of "well, it is your job, after all" or not. I try to thank people when I know they've done a lot of hard work as well; for example, on the most recent project I just finished I had a lot of help from someone at our PR firm. Quite frankly, she worked her ass off on the section of the project she was handling, and I made sure she knew just how much I appreciated her hard work (not least because it meant that I didn't have to do that particular task ;) ).
While I am often happier about tackling projects for people who recognize others' hard work, I don't think it makes a difference in the level of effort I put into the tasks either way. I will work harder on projects that interest me or stretch my skills, whether I get my "pat on the head" or not. My mental state at the time also has some influence; if I'm depressed, my level of effort decreases all around, and I'm more likely to get discouraged when I find a stumbling block. Let's also not forget the motivating force of "that's going out with your name on it", which is a fair amount of inspiration for doing the best job you can on something. There are some kinds of recognition that are not so good. ;)