Posts and people

Work Study

ISSN: 0043-8022

Article publication date: 1 April 1999

474

Citation

(1999), "Posts and people", Work Study, Vol. 48 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/ws.1999.07948baa.006

Publisher

:

Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 1999, MCB UP Limited


Posts and people

Posts and people

Many organisations have a structured approach to the design and evaluation of jobs. New jobs created have a job or post description assigned, and the grading and salary is determined by the attributes and experience required by an individual to meet the demands of the post. This gives an approach to pay which is coherent, rational and can be shown to be equitable. However, it fails to reward individual attributes or performance. If someone works exceptionally well or hard, such a system offers no recognition and makes no reward. Of course, organisations can have a "second tier" reward system to plug this gap ­ but very few seem to do so. We seem to have reached a point where the mechanics of the system matter more than the motivation of the workforce, and where individual abilities and efforts go unrewarded. Perhaps it is time for a fresh look.

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