‘Same’ Doesn’t Equal ‘Fair’
Recognizing excellence in your employees is a good thing, and you have to meet them where they work by Matt Heller
Ethan has been going to his local amusement park since before he could walk. Now 16, he is old enough to apply to work there, and he couldn’t wait to fill out the application. For the first summer in four years, Ethan is foregoing his traditional attendance at baseball camp in favor of pouring all his energy into what he thinks will be the ultimate first job.
After several weeks Ethan enjoys most aspects of his job, but he is a little curious about why other people keep getting praise and rewards when he doesn’t. That doesn’t seem fair to him, especially since at baseball camp, everyone got a trophy at the end of the season.
So what happened? It seems that somewhere along the way, treating people the same became equal to treating them fairly, so that everyone would feel an identical amount of accomplishment. Unfortunately when treating people the “same across the board” becomes the norm, what is truly fair goes out the window. Fair is about what’s right for the situation. Same disregards the situation. Same does not equal fair.
If you were to look up the definition of “fair” in the dictionary, you would see things like “marked by impartiality,” “free from favor toward either or any side,” or “free from selfinterest, prejudice, or favoritism.” By contrast, “same” means “identical,” “equivalent,” or “matching.” With hundreds and sometimes thousands of employees in need of recognition, it can certainly seem that we are doing the right thing by creating recognition programs that treat everyone the same. Unfortunately, our employees, their roles, and their performance are rarely identical, equivalent, or matching.
Creating a program that treats everyone the same regardless of performance also sends the wrong message. Giving everyone the same reward for non-equal results just confuses people about what they are getting rewarded for in the first place. Eventually, top performers will start to wonder if their extra efforts are worth it, and your less productive employees will see their minimal work is still getting positive acknowledgement. In the end, you probably will create a work force that does behave the “same,” but you won’t like the results.
One of the main barriers to being fair is that it takes a lot of communication and explanation to let people know you really are doing the right thing for the circumstance. As long as you can explain in clear, concise terms WHY different positions require different wages, perks, or resources, feel free to NOT apply the “same” mentality to them.
Another barrier has to do with the perception that fair equals same due to previous experiences. If someone else gets X, then I should, too, and that’s fair. It’s only truly fair when your work, performance, and productivity are the same; then the same recognition would be fair. Can you see how this can get confusing?!
The trouble from an administration standpoint is the amount of time we obsess over trying to make things the same when they really don’t match. Not every department generates revenue, so it’s fair to have an incentive program for sales in one department but not another. If you have even a few people in your operation that work in back-of-house areas, is it fair to apply the same criteria for rewards as for someone who has direct guest contact? What’s not fair is failing to provide the same opportunity for recognition—no matter where someone works.
So what do we do? For starters let’s throw out the concept of trying to treat everyone exactly the same. It doesn’t work. Next, take another look at things like reward and recognition programs, incentive programs, and anything else that tends to get labeled as “global.” Is it really working to recognize equal effort or results, or is it actually designed to try to make everyone feel the same? Finally, be ready to explain your actions again and again. People will want to know why they are not being treated the “same” as everyone else.
You can just tell them that wouldn’t be fair.
Matt Heller began his amusement park career as a ride operator at Canobie Lake Park. His 22-year journey in the industry has taken him to Minnesota, Connecticut, and now Florida. Heller is currently the senior trainer of leadership development at Universal Orlando Resort and chairman of the IAAPA Human Resources Committee.
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