Je, unaweza kutoa asilimia 90 ya mshahara wako? Dan Price, Mkurugenzi Mtendaji wa Gravity Payments, alifanya hivyo na kushiriki kati ya wafanyakazi wake. Ni hatua ya kupongezwa lakini itafungua njia ya usawa mpana wa malipo?
Mnamo Aprili Mkurugenzi Mtendaji wa kampuni ya teknolojia ya Marekani alifanya jambo bila vielelezo vyovyote katika ulimwengu wa kisasa wa biashara. Alitoa asilimia 90 ya malipo yake mwenyewe ili kuongeza mishahara ya wafanyakazi wake hadi kima cha chini cha $70,000 kwa mwaka.
Dan Price, Mkurugenzi Mtendaji wa Gravity Payments yenye makao yake Seattle, anakumbuka wakati alipotangaza uamuzi huo kwa wafanyakazi wake 120: "Kulikuwa na ukimya wa kustaajabisha. Baadhi ya watu walikuwa wakitazamana, taya chache zilikuwa zimedondoka, na kisha mtu fulani akaniuliza nijirudie. Kisha timu ikaanza kupiga makofi, kushangilia, na kupeana makofi. Ilikuwa ni wakati wa hisia."
Uamuzi wa Price ulikuja baada ya kusoma utafiti wa maprofesa Angus Deaton na Daniel Kahneman wa Chuo Kikuu cha Princeton, ambao uligundua kuwa ustawi wa kihisia hupanda na mapato hadi kiwango cha kupunguzwa cha dola 75,000, baada ya hapo malipo ya ziada hayana athari kwenye furaha. Mwanzoni Price alijitahidi kufanya namba zifanye kazi, lakini baada ya muda akagundua kwamba kwa kukata malipo yake mwenyewe na kutumia faida fulani za kampuni, angeweza kumudu. Licha ya kuwa na wasiwasi sana aliamka na "hofu za usiku" kwa wiki mbili, Price aliendelea na kuifanya.
Lakini uamuzi wa Price ni kushuka tu katika bahari ya malipo yasiyo sawa. Wakurugenzi wakuu wa Marekani hupata, kwa wastani, dola milioni 11.7 kwa mwaka, mara 331 zaidi ya wafanyakazi wao wa kawaida, kulingana na Deborah Hargreaves, mkurugenzi wa Kituo cha Malipo ya Juu. Nchini Uingereza sasa inachukua bosi wa FTSE 100 siku mbili tu kupata kiasi sawa na mfanyakazi wa kawaida anarudi nyumbani kwa mwaka. Wakurugenzi wakuu wa Uingereza wameona ongezeko la wastani la mishahara la karibu pauni milioni moja katika miaka mitano iliyopita wakati ambapo mapato ya kila mtu yamedorora. "Imeongeza ukosefu wa usawa ndani ya nchi kwa kiasi kikubwa," anasema Hargreaves, "hasa Amerika na Uingereza. Inasababisha mgawanyiko mkubwa katika jamii na nadhani ni mbaya sana."
Ukosefu wa usawa wa viwango vya malipo umekuwa ukijengwa kwa miongo kadhaa kulingana na profesa Alexander Pepper wa Shule ya Uchumi ya London. Ilikuwa katika miaka ya themanini ambapo mambo kadhaa yaliunganishwa kwa mara ya kwanza ili kukuza malipo ya watendaji katika safari yake ya kuelekea angani. Kwa kushangaza nyingi kati yao, kama sheria juu ya uwazi zaidi, zilikusudiwa kuwa na athari tofauti. Badala yake, kulingana na Pepper, ufichuzi zaidi ulisababisha athari ya 'mimi pia' ambapo watendaji waliwaangalia watendaji wakuu wengine, kupata malipo ya juu kwa kazi sawa na kudai nyongeza ya malipo wenyewe. Sababu nyingine ilikuwa ongezeko la malipo yanayohusiana na utendaji katika mfumo wa hisa na mipango ya muda mrefu ya motisha. “Ili kukufidia kwa ukweli kwamba utapata kitu ambacho si pesa taslimu na utapata baadaye,” aeleza Pepper, “lazima nikupe mengi zaidi. Sababu nyingine ni ile inayoitwa 'mtanziko wa wafungwa' ambapo kamati za malipo, bila kutaka kuwavutia Wakurugenzi Wakuu wa chini ya wastani, daima wanajaribiwa kulipa kidogo zaidi ya wastani - hatua inayosisitizwa na kila mtu mwingine, na hivyo kuleta athari mbaya.
Lakini je, chochote kinaweza kufanywa ili kutupa spana kwenye ratchet?
Je, mfano wa Dan Price unatoa biashara na pia mtindo wa kimaadili ambao Wakurugenzi Wakuu wengine wanaweza kufuata? Price mwenyewe anafikiri hivyo, akiamini kwamba kuwakomboa wafanyakazi kutokana na wasiwasi wa pesa huwawezesha kuzingatia vyema kazi zao.
“Sikuwa nikitafuta karoti na fimbo,” asema, “lakini nilitaka kuruhusu watu watoe shauku yao na kuendelea kuwahudumia wateja wetu na wasikengeushwe na wasiwasi.” Anaonyesha mifano mingine ya hivi majuzi, ikiwa ni pamoja na mtendaji mkuu huko Florida ambaye alitiwa moyo na mfano wa Price kutoa ongezeko la asilimia 30-50 kote kote. Mwingine alikuwa mteja wa Malipo ya Mvuto, ambaye walihifadhi $7,000 kwenye usindikaji. "Badala ya kuweka akiba hizo, aliamua kuchukua pesa hizo, na baadhi ya faida zake mwenyewe, na kumpa kila mtu katika kampuni yake nyongeza," anasema Price.
Deborah Hargreaves hana matumaini kidogo kuhusu Wakurugenzi wengi wanaofuata nyayo lakini anafikiri kuna akili wazi ya biashara kwa sera za kimaadili za malipo.
"Maeneo ya kazi yenye uwiano wa chini wa mishahara yana matukio machache ya utoro, machafuko ya viwanda na matatizo ya kazi, hivyo hufanya kazi kwa ufanisi zaidi." Hargreaves anaonyesha mifano kama John Lewis ambaye ana uwiano wa juu zaidi wa malipo ya 75:1 na ambao unajulikana sana kwa ari ya wafanyakazi wake. Ripoti iliyoidhinishwa na Ubia wa John Lewis inaonyesha kuwa makampuni yanayomilikiwa na wafanyakazi kama yenyewe, ambayo yana kiwango cha malipo cha haki zaidi, yana ustahimilivu zaidi na yamefanya kazi vizuri kuliko soko lililosalia wakati wa mdororo wa kiuchumi.
Hargreaves inaamini kuwa tunahitaji kukomesha malipo yanayohusiana na utendaji kwa Wakurugenzi Wakuu, tukibadilisha motisha za hisa na bonasi za pesa taslimu na kufuta kabisa mipango ya muda mrefu ya motisha. Pia anataka kuona mageuzi ya kamati za malipo, ambazo zenyewe mara nyingi zinaundwa na Wakurugenzi Watendaji wengine na watendaji wakuu. Lakini pia anaamini inahitaji mabadiliko mapana zaidi ya kitamaduni: "Ninachotaka kufikiria ni kwamba unaweza kuanza kupata haki za majisifu kuhusu ni pesa ngapi umetoa badala ya kiasi ulicho nacho."
Dan Price haoni mfano wake kama uamuzi bora kwa kila kampuni, lakini anatumai kuwa itawahimiza Wakurugenzi Wakuu wengine kufanya mabadiliko yao wenyewe kwa bora. Kwa yeye mwenyewe, baada ya wasiwasi wote, hana shaka kwamba ulikuwa uamuzi sahihi: "Hiyo ilikuwa furaha zaidi ambayo nimewahi kuhisi. Kwangu, ilikuwa pesa bora zaidi ambayo nimewahi kutumia."
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A phenomenal action by what sounds like a phenomenal human being, may others follow suit. This said by someone who sold her very modest home and most of her possessions in 2005 to create and facilitate a volunteer literacy project in Belize (upon invitation) super grateful. I've learned how little in way of possessions I need and how important people are rather than possessions or large sums of money. I have enough to get by and it has made all the difference in my heart. mind and spirit. <3
What an amazing read early in the morn. I spend a lot of time in the US as a tourist and find the average person cherishes what they have regardless and so many people older like myself work for very little but still don,t grumble. Congrats to a CEO who cares. Wish you all health and happiness.
Inspiring. Thank you Dan Price. Every bit of selflessness contributes to a better world.
Dan Price: a true leader who has set the tone for others to follow. Walking his talk!!
I admire Mr Dan Price's move to help his employees reduce their financial burden. Yes when employees are satisfied with their salaries and have few debts they do tend to focus more on their jobs and even work longer hours to help their companies achieve their targeted goal. God Bless you Mr Dan Price and I pray other CEOs will follow your example.
I am by no means a CEO but if I can help someone financially or with food or clothing it will be done, live by the motto "Be the change you want to see in the world", that said this is truly inspirational for all CEOs out there.
I have long thought that the reasoning described here in "remuneration committees, not wanting to attract below average CEOs, are continually tempted to pay slightly over the average" is suspect and actually erroneous. Surely there are thousands of business school grads who see themselves as potential CEOs. If we had anything like supply and demand, the desire by so many for the opportunity to lead a company should drive the top wage down. The problem may lie in the myth of the "below average CEO" you'd get by giving a less experienced person a chance. Many "top" CEOs, it seems to me, have the wrong kind of experience, namely prioritizing short-term profits over everything else with little ability to create a positive corporate culture for workers or clients. When a business is struggling it seems they always want to bring in expensive "talent" whose focus is to cut "softer" company assets such as innovative programs or collaborative leadership by women and minorities, and instill an intimidating military-style command structure. I wish someone would study the total effects of these high-priced "top" CEOs, compared to saving money and maintaining morale by hiring someone less sociopathic at a lower salary. I am sure they would discover that these decisions harm company success in the long run and create far more negative societal externalities that the larger society then has to absorb or pay for.
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