In the most general sense, the degree of “work” an individual puts forth is equivalent to the “reward” they receive; as I work harder, the reward I receive increases. A simple example would be studying for a test. The more I study, the higher my grade.
But what causes me to study in the first place? It may be for the satisfaction associated with receiving a good grade, or possibly to avoid the dissatisfaction of receiving a bad grade. Nevertheless, there is a positive correlation between the work I apply and the reward I receive.
In short, two factors motivate people to do work:
- Possibility for future satisfaction
- The avoidance of future dissatisfaction
The happiest workers, of course, are the ones who work for the satisfaction of the reward. Nevertheless, working to avoid dissatisfaction can be equally motivating. After all, we spend time and money having our cars inspected in order to avoid having an inspection violation in the future.
A Distorted Perception of Work and Reward
What is interesting to consider is when the correlation between work and reward is not maintained. An ordinary example, of course, would be being rejected by someone you were trying to impress, or even finding a $5 bill on the ground. In both examples, the level of work we applied did not correlate with the reward. When these instances are trivial and infrequent, they are normally insignificant.
Now, if an envelope with $500 dollars spontaneously appeared on someone’s doorstep every morning, their perception of work and reward may become distorted over time. They will eventually quit their job and learn to rely on the $500 dollars a day as their main source of income. Until, suddenly, the envelope ceases to appear, and they are forced to find a job, again. The subsequent hours spent working at their new job is for the avoidance of the dissatisfaction of having no money. Their first earned paycheck will result in no real satisfaction, as their past experience had taught them that there should be no work associated with receiving money.
The prior example demonstrates a large reward being given in exchange for no work. It may also occur that large amounts of work result in little to no reward. I might try as hard as I can to impress somebody, but because I am the ugliest person in the world, I may never be successful. In effect, I would become very discouraged over time, and eventually give up altogether. In this case, the work of impressing potential mates was reward-less work.
When a person’s experience tells them that little work results in large rewards, the person is relatively content as long as that disproportion maintains. If forced into a normal environment where the relationship between work and reward is proportional, the person will become discontent. The converse is also true, as shown below.
Although a high reward, low work scenario may seem ideal, it is the most volatile and undesirable. A balanced perception of work and reward, where the degree of work put forth equals that of the reward, and where the majority of work put forth is for satisfaction rather than the avoidance of dissatisfaction, results in the most balanced and predictable scenario.
Unfortunately, uncontrollable factors cause our work/reward balance to become disproportionate, to varying degrees. When this occurs, it is important that it does not consume you. Chances are, the proportion will return to normal sometime in the future, for better or for worse.
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