Meritocracy

Yesterday afternoon, I saw my boss get a call from the HR manager. A little while later she asked me to stop by her office. Our firm recently laid off a number of support staffers, so I was a little nervous as I made the 30 second walk to her office.

Turns out I was right and wrong. I was right in that her calling me into her office was related to the call she received from HR, but wrong to be worried. It was time for my review, and my boss gave me a lot of positive feedback.

No raises are being offered this year, but they are still awarding merit bonuses. The bonuses are smaller than they've been in the past, but that's to be expected in this economic climate. My boss, happy with the work I've been doing, secured the top bonus for me and seemed apologetic that it couldn't be more.

Here's how I feel about it, though - I'm glad I have a job. I'm especially glad I have a job where my work is appreciated and my efforts rewarded. I understand the budget is tight, so I don't mind the amount. What matters to me is working for an employer that tries to encourage hard work by offering merit-based rewards.
Last year I worked at one of those "too big to fail" banks. After all of the reviews were submitted and evaluated, my boss called me into her office. Everyone on support staff was getting a 2% raise. Everyone. ...Okay, so it doesn't matter that these people gave far more to the company and far out performed those people? The only reward is the self-satisfaction of a job well done? I mean, don't get me wrong, that self-satisfaction can be pretty rewarding, but I was annoyed with the message this was sending us. To me, this says that the company doesn't respect what the support staff does enough to recognize top performers. It then, in essence, encourages laziness and "just getting by". Which in turn makes the entire company run poorly.
That is one of many reasons I lost respect for my former employer and opted to return to my current one.
My bonus this year is only 1/3 the amount of my annual raise at the bank, but the latter felt like a slap in the face whereas this one feels like a generous reward. The difference is the reason for them.

I think it's awful that layoffs are taking place here, but I truly see them as a reflection of the time. Bonuses aside, this firm is well run with priorities in the right places. I'm proud to work in a meritocracy. And if there's any confusion, I'd still be proud even if I hadn't earned the top bonus. If American companies hope to survive this recession, they need to focus more on rewarding good work. A little incentive will go a long way.