The number of work hours should be a constant. If you put in more time and you get paid more for it, it doesn’t necessarily mean you are earning more for your work. It just means you are earning more for the additional effort you’re putting in. So, money isn’t motivating you to do better, just work longer.
There are always “chores” with any job or even a passion. It’s just that if it is a passion, the chores are more bearable and easier to “grind out” and get done. And unfortunately, in some work environments, it is more difficult to be passionate about one’s job than in others. And, money won’t really change that either. You could be the best paid worker in the world for what you do, but if you aren’t treated with respect, have clear goals and a healthy work environment, among other important job place criteria, then all the money in the world won’t stop you from disliking the job or the situation you are in and possibly causing you to lowering your own personal standards.
Again, I believe, if you aren’t working at your fullest potential, that is a management problem, which more money will most definitely not fix. If you get more money with the request to fulfill your potential, then the management system is actually totally screwed and you should leave that job as fast as you can, because the company will soon be there no longer. I’ll guarantee it.
People who are given autonomy, who are asked to solve difficult problems, problems they never have seen before and are working to their fullest potential for a good purpose, don’t have problems with burnout or low morale. Everything in that video is absolutely true. It is why the OSS scene is such a huge thing. And in that scene monetary reward is not the real motivator either.Or is it?
I have a task for you to do. You’ve never done it before. It’s really hard. I better not catch you taking a break. And of course I wouldn’t want to de-motivate you with money.
Why couldn’t the same motivation, which gets 1000s of devs to finish 1000s of OSS projects or why people try to learn to use a musical instrument or why they put that extension on the house or all the other millions of tasks, which get done all in their free time and require some sort of proficiency, also be used in the workplace to motivate employees too? Autonomy, mastery and purpose.
Autonomy and purpose are actually quite easy. Mastery, well. I think that is the hardest one. Most people are doing a job, because they are supposed to be masters at their job. That is a slight problem and an employer can’t always have people trying to learn new things to get things done. Although, learning new things and challenges still should be a part of any job. It’s just that most employers don’t want to spend the money for training. Hahaha…
Because with OSS, we get to pick what we work on and how long we work on it. I’ve yet to have an employer say: Work on whatever you want, however you want, for as long as you want.
Ok. Maybe autonomy is not that easy. You’re right, now that I think about it. It is the same as with mastery though. Employees (who needs to be creative) should have time to delve into problems they choose to tackle on their own. Open ended deadlines are difficult for a business though, because “it will be finished sometime” is unmanageable. This is what hackathons are all about. 24 hours is actually a tough time limit too. So yes. There are give and takes for sure. Still, I think employers should consider how motivation is constantly cultivated external to work and I am most definitely of the opinion that it is clearly obvious that throwing money at that challenge isn’t the solution.
