The cost of rewarding unqualified employees and how to remedy

Promotion of those falling short of the required threshold leaves hardworking employees demotivated. PHOTO | SHUTTERSTOCK

In the workplace, rewards only sometimes go to the most qualified employee. Often, they do the heavy lifting only for a lay-about colleague to bag the accolades and, soon after, the promotion.

To the qualified, it feels like the reward system that should ideally be based on meritocracy is rigged against them, a situation that Human Resource (HR) experts say is the surest way to bring down an organisation.

But what drives an organisation to reward mediocrity despite having qualified employees? What impact does this practice have on the workforce, and what lessons can we glean from these unconventional approaches?

Anthony Disi, a HR expert and talent development lead, says that while rewarding employees should be merit-based, certain aspects compromise a fair and just reward system.

“Favouritism, discrimination emanating from tribalism, nepotism, ethnocentrism, political alignment either landscape wise or politics within an organisation, and personal preference are all contributing factors,” he says.

Irene Mutiso, an executive coach and strategist with Premier Consulting, explains that it all comes down to the kind of leadership an organisation has put in place from the mid to top-level management.

In collaboration with HR and managers, the CEO or immediate supervisors holds the key to who receives recognition.

Ramifications

“If there is a surest way to tear down and bring a company to the ground is rewarding non-equipped employees,” says Mr Disi.

He points out that the promotion of those falling short of the required threshold leaves hardworking employees demotivated.

“Imagine as the salesperson, you offer good customer service, bring in the numbers and relate well with customers and the director, but you are overlooked when it comes to being rewarded. It is frustrating, right?” he poses.

While rewarding employees can take different forms and shapes, Mr Disi explains that it could be promotion, salary increments, benefits, and new opportunities.

In turn, the overlooked employee’s performance tanks; they do not give their best and do the bare minimum. This, in turn, cultivates a culture of mediocrity.

With the path to upward career mobility seemingly closed, employees feel stuck in their positions and start resigning rather than working under unqualified colleagues who will sooner than later sink the company.

In the face of mass resignations, such an organisation finds it hard to attract talent.

“When it comes to hiring, a skilled employee will be weary of joining such an organisation because of the detrimental effects. Like football, skilled teams attract skilled players,” says Mr Disi.

Transparency and fairness

Ms Mutiso says organisations should be fair and transparent in their rewards, policies, and processes. Transparency can take the form of having employees audit the reward processes and open communication channels where employees can anonymously share their grievances.

Also, Ms Mutiso explains that when a company receives feedback on promoting undeserving employees, it should address the issues candidly.

“Openly do the performance management to all staff, agree on the deliverables, and feedback sessions so that you perform optimally,” she says.

While rewards in most workplaces often come in the form of money, there are other ways of rewarding employees, from recognising improvement, giving extra day-offs, and adding more responsibilities to prepare them for more significant tasks. Organisations can also opt to have employee engagement surveys that make them feel their input is acknowledged.

Ms Mutiso offers, “When we know what is expected of us, the processes of being rewarded, then it will be clear from the word go what is needed of me to get a certain reward.”

Salvaging

While the ideal way is to have employers hire competent employees from the onset, an organisation that is in a fix after rewarding incompetent employees can train them to meet the threshold.

Ms Mutiso shares that taking a step back to identify the employee’s skill set and personality helps identify which area they fit in.

“Look at the requirements for the role, upskill the staff, offer mentorship coaching, expose and support them so they can perform,” she explains.

All these measures are taken because sometimes it is hard to fire an employee unfairly promoted due to the stakeholders involved in allowing their reward.

However, training and upskilling the employee can eat so much into an organisation’s resources without guaranteeing that they will be up to the task.

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