What drives employees? There are many answers to the question: Responsibility is one thing, appreciation is another. And money? Not so important. More salary can even be dangerous.
According to the motivational pope Sprenger, money can trigger a flash in the pan motivation. “The half-life is usually no more than 48 hours,” says the management consultant. Happiness researcher Ruckriegel is a little more optimistic: “Once the basic needs are met, it takes about two to three months for the employee’s expectations to adjust and for them to be just as satisfied as they were before the salary increase.”
In the long term, however, there is a risk of dramatic consequences from excessive financial generosity. According to Sprenger, it increases the stimulus and expectation level and can thus trigger a real addiction to rewards. Ruckriegel also warns: “You always have to push more, but at some point the end of the road will be reached.” And the higher the starting salary level, the lower the impact on productivity and the higher the greed. Because then the main thing is to earn as much as possible more than the others.
