Some people believe that employees should be paid according to their performance, while others think that everyone doing the same job should receive a fixed salary. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.

Those who favour rewarding results point first to the motivation it creates. When extra effort brings extra money, employees have a clear reason to work harder, and the most talented are kept from drifting to competitors who value them more. Sales teams in Casablanca,

for instance

Linking Words

, routinely exceed their targets when commission is on offer,

whereas

Linking Words

the same staff on flat wages tend to do only what is required. Closely linked to

this

Linking Words

is the question of fairness to the diligent. Under a fixed scheme, a worker who produces twice as much as a colleague receives exactly the same reward, and,

consequently

Linking Words

, many lose the will to do more than the minimum.

Nevertheless

Linking Words

, supporters of fixed salaries raise serious objections. The most damaging effect of pay by results is the rivalry it breeds, since colleagues who compete for the same bonus stop sharing ideas and helping one another.

Moreover

Linking Words

, many jobs cannot be measured by numbers at all. A nurse who comforts a frightened patient or a teacher who patiently supports a struggling pupil adds enormous value, yet none of it appears on a chart. In my view,

therefore

Linking Words

, a stable wage should cover the real cost of living in every profession, with modest bonuses added only where output can be counted honestly and where teamwork is not at risk.