Recognise and reward productive people

Recognise and reward productive people
Radhakrishnan Pillai


All of us are surrounded by people who believe that it’s just not worth making an extra effort if the salary is fixed. This is where the theory of productivity and incentives kicks in: The more you work the more rewards you will get.

But the onus is on the boss and a firm’s owners to identify the productive people in their organisations to not only reward them but to also make them stay.

Chanakya gave a strategy for this: “In case more work is done than agreed upon, he shall not make the effort vain” (8.14.11).

In addition to being a rule for paying out bonuses, the above verse can also be used as a yard-stick to check if employees are good – just see if they have done far more than what they were expected to do.

If the answer is yes, then the management has to ensure that their ‘extra’ efforts are rewarded. But how can a boss keep a track of his employees’ productivity?

1) Keep notes

It’s important that the director, CEO or even the head of a department keep notes of people who are productive. People who are sincere, dedicated and committed are essential in every company.

Such people are the pillars of any organisation. While it’s good to keep mental notes of the staff’s performance, it would be best if these could be written down for future reference.

2) Look for new opportunities

A leader should keep looking not only for new business opportunities but also for opportunities that can be given to productive people.

The basic thought should be that an employee who has been very productive and dedicated to the company needs to be a part of any new and wonderful assignment with better rewards.

3) Promote when required

When seniors in an organisation find that certain people are good, they should not hesitate to promote them. Promotion means far more than just giving a higher designation.

It can mean salary hikes, share in profits or even a decision to head a new venture. Thus, the person also feels empowered and recognised within the company.

They say: “People do not leave organisations, they leave their bosses.” But, according to me: “People should not leave their organisations due to lack of identification of skill by their bosses!”