Work hard so your manager can get TIME OFF! What?

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

Here's something that's bugged me.

The last two jobs I have worked have been sales oriented. Frequently I've noticed sales contests are run in which MANAGERS or SUPERVISORS are the sole beneficiaries, either of cash bonuses, prizes or extra time off.

Let's say the contest involves selling the highest number of extended warranties in a given week. So my manager Joe decides he wants to try hard to win this contest. So he tells me to work my butt off to sell more extended warranties that we get no commission on whatsoever because he wants to win the contest.

Herein lies the problem: There is ABSOLUTELY NO BENEFIT to work harder to sell extended warranties.

I think it's great that Manager Joe wants to win this contest and get extra time off, but where's the motivation for me? It seems corporate wants me to think the main motivation is that if I don't sell enough I don't keep my job, but that's kind of insulting to me, because then it's like:

Message to managers: Sell more warranties and earn extra days off!
Message to regular associates: Don't sell enough warranties and be fired!

I understand that corporate has to motivate the managers to do their job well, but why not offer some incentive for the regular employees too. For example a $500 bonus for the manager and $150 for his employees.

I really can't stand negative reinforcement as a management tactic. It should always be "work hard and these will be your rewards" not "if you don't work hard enough here's what's going to happen."

Obviously it should be clear to anyone who works anywhere that if you don't do your job well, there will be discplinary action up to and including termination. They shouldn't have to hold that over heads to make us work hard.

I have little faith that this will change anytime soon, after all, since when has corporate ever shown much intelligence?

[Reyneth]

I really can't stand negative reinforcement as a management tactic. It should always be "work hard and these will be your rewards" not "if you don't work hard enough here's what's going to happen."

Obviously it should be clear to anyone who works anywhere that if you don't do your job well, there will be discplinary action up to and including termination. They shouldn't have to hold that over heads to make us work hard.

I totally agree. At camera place I used to work, they'd have contests during the holiday times. IIRC, they were contests sponsored by the individual camera brands but the contest design was by my company. You earned points by selling cameras of that brand (higher-end worth more) and for every add-on you sold (a combination of $ and quantity). You got full value for your points, your manager also got 50% of everyone in their store's points. Bigger stores had a handicap to account for stock, availability, sales numbers, etc.

The brand I was best at selling (seeing as I have had 3 of their various cameras/types, bought my mom and sister their cameras.....) was also one of the most popular. I didn't stand a chance. But my manager got enough points from all of us combined to win a cruise. And 1K in another contest.

Everyone in my store won something. Except me. Yet I was the only one to exceed the company's goals ($$, %s, other figures) for Nov-Dec of that year. Yup, that one was fair!

[aurelemsrealm]

Holding it over my head just doesn't motivate me. I'm stubborn, so it has quite the opposite effect. I'm more apt to become lazy and indifferent just because it's of no benefit to me. Leave me alone, and I'll do my job with no problem. Make it worthwile for me, and be amazed at what miracles I can perform. That's just how I work.

[Mara-chan]

This kind of contest needs to be told TO managers only. It should not be mentioned to employees.

I know when I hear stuff like this (we've run contests for managers to get vacations and shit), I've asked "So what do we get?" or "Are you taking me to Hawaii if we win?" Of course we got shafted, and of course we didn't give a rat's ass about the contest.

The manager should try to encourage the employees without actually telling them about the contest if they're not gonna share.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

This kind of contest needs to be told TO managers only. It should not be mentioned to employees.

True but not too likely. Even if they don't explicitly mention the contest they can still lay the pressure thick on the peons to sell, and most likely will because they can't personally be on the floor to sell things all the time.

We go through the same thing with our Gord-forsaken extended protection plans. Every so often there's a big push to sell them and we get promised a pizza party or some such thing if we sell a high enough percentage of them. But there's probably also bonuses going to the managers if we do happen to sell enough.

What I guess I'm trying to say is: word of the contest will always get down to the peons soon enough.

[JLRodgers]

I just had a flashback!

Once while working at a place floor people were told, completely out of the blue, that we needed to sell a lot of specific manufacturer's product x. We jokingly said "what you getting a prize for it?" Manager stammered and said no -- we said screw it and tried to sell everything BUT those .... of course they had a big sale on them, so it didn't matter. It was some computer thing or something.... for some reason they were selling it for only $150 -- next cheapest one was like 5x more. It was one of those things that we could've propped up a corpse next to them as they would've flown out.


But why on earth would a manager or anyone be that dumb to say "sell these things and I'll get something nice and you won't!" That's just really dumb. Not only do you get your employees to hate you, they'll also realize you're a jerk, not worth working for, and they'll do whatever they can to keep their job yet not let you win.

[powerboy]

Holding it over my head just doesn't motivate me. I'm stubborn, so it has quite the opposite effect. I'm more apt to become lazy and indifferent just because it's of no benefit to me. Leave me alone, and I'll do my job with no problem. Make it worthwile for me, and be amazed at what miracles I can perform. That's just how I work.

That is how I am.

[Racket_Man]

here is one where the managers actaully got screwed out of something (not their fault really)

the company I work for bought our stores 11 years ago. some of the store managers have been there longer. company promised up and down sideways and backwards all managers going to the annual company wide managers conference they would be going to Hawaii (part of the annivercery package)

several managers made SERIOUS plans for that time including ours who planned to get married in Hawaii (meaning booking various factilities and making deposit required arrangements)

fast forward to 2 month before conference ----->>>>>>> no we are not going to Hawaii. we are not doing as well as we thought we would. can not afford to go now.

our manager get screwed out of some $$$$'s because of this.

[lordlundar]

Heh. Had that once, where the manager got a plasma TV for most extended warranties sold and the staff got squat. Where I worked we had little brochures (called T-Bars) as a means of something tangible or some such crap. A manager of another department approached me one day:

MM: You need to sell more warranties!
Me: Why?
MM: So I can win the contest!
Me: *fully aware of the contest* So I saw that contest and saw no mention of any benefit for me (the contest wasn't even for my department, which made me think he might have been doing commission flips without consent), so I have to ask, what's in it for me?
MM: Umm, the thrill of doing a job well done? (yes, he was actually stupid enough to say it)
Me: Here's a thought, you want that TV so bad, *hand him my stack of T-Bars* you sell them.

Never got reprimanded for it, and I'm pretty sure the manager who won it did commission flips from other departments to his own staff, effectively stealing from the staff. (Warranties earned a commission for all staff)

[Teysa]

When I worked in the Butcherblock we'd haves sales contests on occasion where the Meat Manager or Supervisor could win a nice bonus check or even a Big-Screen TV. I had no desire to push sales on catfish or whatever the product of the month was just so someone else could line their pockets.

[XCashier]

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/fun/re...?date=20060218

[Kiwi]

at the craft store we had contests

50 cents for each person we signed up to the free loyalty club

we were issued with sheets to fill in names and numbers (they were checked) we had to fill in 50 names a sheet.
we were only given money for full sheets

strangely we never seemed to recieve the money for full sheets... we found out that the sucky manager (not awesome manager) would take the sheets and send them in with HER name on them so she got the money not us.

bitch

[Geek King]

strangely we never seemed to recieve the money for full sheets... we found out that the sucky manager (not awesome manager) would take the sheets and send them in with HER name on them so she got the money not us.

I saw something similer to this happen once. Manager involved was advised by their employees that the money would be paid to them or manager would be met outside one morning by a sack of oranges*. I wasn't involved, but I overheard the 'discussion'. Manager was disappointed that my sense of justice caused selective deafness to the threats.

Seriously, management stealing from their employees is about the lowest thing a manager can do.

*sack of rocks and baseball bat were mentioned also, for the citrus-allergic, I'm sure.

[Kyree]

Seriously, management stealing from their employees is about the lowest thing a manager can do.

I agree 10000%.

My previous deli manager, for 4 years, had us convinced that the contests were just for bragging rights, and there were no money prizes for management either. Then comes our new deli manager about 6 months ago, asking us how much previous deli manager split the prizes with us. Turns out we lost out on a few thousand dollars worth of money over that 4 years, each.

[KellyHabersham]

Reminds me of a few contests which we had at Macy's.......one involved a "credit challenge" with another store in the area - whichever store opened the most new accounts within a week's time was treated to a pizza party (something like that, anyhow) by the other store. I think something must have fizzled out though, as it was never officially announced which store had won the contest. (or if it was, it didn't get passed on to the sales associates)
The other contest involved spring-cleaning......basically, the departments were asked to neaten up the wrap stands, the store manager would decide which area had done the best job, and that department would be treated to a pizza party. I wasn't working the day that the judging was apparently done, but from what I understand, nobody ended up winning the contest.