Damaging Hope

Everyone has their own sense of hope and anticipation. If you tell a woman that you have a surprise for her, she will immediately think it must be a gift, such as flowers, jewelry, or an invitation to dinner. This is hope. It happens constantly and will continue to do so.

Now, let's consider a different perspective: one of your employees has been working for you for a while. You are pleased with their performance, and one day you inform them there is a surprise for them at the end of the month.

Ask yourself this question: As a company owner, how should you surprise someone?

The relationship between you and your employee involves many ambiguities, hopes, and fears.

Put yourself in that employee's shoes and imagine the owner of your company has planned a surprise for you. What could it be? Does the owner intend to give you a big gift because of your long-term service? As an employee, your thoughts will wander, filled with a range of emotions and hopes.

Is the surprise a new company car? Is it covering the expenses of a daughter's wedding? Am I getting a month's paid leave? Is there a huge bonus?

As time goes by, these hopes evolve, changing with each passing moment.

The month ends, and when the employee receives their paycheck, they see an increase of only 10%. Now, all their hopes are dashed, and dreams shattered. They may have shared their excitement with their family. Perhaps this 10% increase is significant to you as a business owner, but you have sparked a hope that cannot be fulfilled with this amount.

This 10% increment destroys the employee's expectations. Even though you are giving more, they are no longer happy.

So why not decide to increase the salary? When you hand the employee their check, mention that the pay increase is in recognition of their services. The employee will be genuinely happy, and there will be no damaging hope.