I recently came across an article in the Orlando Sentinel that discussed the idea that Gen Y teachers are interested in the idea of merit based pay.
According to the article, 71 percent of Millennial teachers think teachers who work harder and put in more time should be paid more.
Image from Nikkinoguer
While this survey only discussed Millennial teachers I think that many Millennials would feel the same way in their respective professions. Why you ask?
1. Millennials are used to putting in more time- Most Millennials are just now (or soon will be) starting their first jobs. Inevitably, when you start your first job you put in more hours than people who have been there for a while. Millennials are used to putting in more time than everyone else and they are used to proving themselves. Based on these facts, it should come as no surprise that Millennials would want to get payed more for putting in more hours. Also, Millennials tend to be young and haven’t started their families yet. This allows Millennials to put in more hours than married people who do have families. More hours= more money, and Millennials like that.
2. Millennials only want to be rewarded for hard work- No Millennial wants to be rewarded for doing a terrible job at work. So it’s easy to see that Millennials would like the idea of being rewarded for hard work, and not being rewarded for shitty work. If I am doing a bad job, don’t pay me. BUT, pay me more if I am doing an amazing job.
3. Millennials would like to be payed more- Since most Millennials are in their first jobs, they are at the bottom of the pay scale. And I don’t think you would find a Millennial on the face of this planet who wouldn’t like to be payed more. I’m sure this is why merit based pay is so appealing to Millennials.
Millennials thing that if you work harder and put in more time you should get paid more. Does the motto “the harder I work, the more I get payed,” sound good to you?
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I think this is an example of not paying your dues. Part of a first job and making a name for yourself in a company is putting in hard work and more time, WITHOUT getting paid. I think it starts to run akin to saying that a manager or maybe even the president shouldn’t be paid as much because they don’t really work that hard. However, they have more responsibility resting on their shoulders than the worker at the bottom. This is an exagerated idea, but it still fits. The bottom of the food chain is expected to work more for less money, and then you move up the chain.