#125: Fairness at work

As I explained last week, we evaluate fairness by comparing our performance and reward with the performance and rewards of others.

No doubt, we all exaggerate our own inputs a little while underestimating the inputs of others. This means that sooner or later you will feel that you are being treated unfairly. You now have four options:

(1) you can reduce your performance if you feel that you are rewarded less than you deserve;
(2) you can increase your performance if you feel that you are rewarded more than you deserve;
(3) you can try to change your reward by asking for more if you feel under-rewarded, or you can offer to accept less, or
(4) because it is all about perceptions, you can simply focus on information which supports why you deserve to be rewarded as much as you are.

Unsurprisingly, research has shown that people are far more sensitive to being under-rewarded than over-rewarded.


I’m james@nonsenseatwork.com

Copyright: 2007 James Henry McIntosh

James can be heard on Public Radio, 88.9 FM WCVE, Richmond VA.
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