Types of Financial Rewards (HL IB Business Management)

Revision Note

Steve Vorster

Expertise

Economics & Business Subject Lead

Financial Rewards to Improve Performance

  • Financial rewards are payments given to employees in return for their labour - or improved performance 

Examples of financial rewards include commission, piecework pay, bonus, profit sharing, performance related pay, wages and salaries, fringe benefits
Examples of financial rewards

 

Types of Financial Incentives & Their Links to Motivational Theory


Incentive Type


Explanation


Link to Motivational Theories

Piecework

  • Employees are paid according to the number of units or pieces they produce

  • Commonly used in manufacturing or assembly-line settings and encourages workers to increase their output e.g. garment factories in Bangladesh use this

  • Taylor's Scientific management

Commission

  • A percentage of sales revenue paid to workers who sell products or services

  • Commonly used in sales roles and motivates staff to increase their sales revenue

  • Hygiene factor in Hertzberg's Theory

  • Connects to Esteem Needs in Maslow's Hierarchy (salesperson of the month)

Bonus

  • An additional payment is given to staff as a reward for achieving specific goals, completing projects on time, or exceeding performance expectations
     
  • Motivates staff to work harder and achieve better results

  • Connects to Esteem Needs in Maslow's Hierarchy (achievement)

  • Herzberg believed that bonuses as the main form of payment would negatively influence individual behaviour in the workplace (this was part of the problem in the banking industry leading up to the 2008 financial crash)

Profit share

  • A portion of the company's profits are distributed among staff

  • This encourages them to think like owners, work collaboratively and focus on the company's overall goals

  • Motivator in Herzberg's Theory as it creates buy in to increased responsibility (help the organisation succeed; be an owner) 

Performance-related pay

  • Staff are paid based on their performance which (theoretically) motivates staff to work harder and achieve better results

  • This form of payment has been severely criticised as discriminatory and open to abuse by managers

  • Hygiene Factor in Herzberg's theory - and has been proven to cause significant dissatisfaction when utilised


Fringe Benefits


  • Financial rewards received by employees other than wages or salary such as medical insurance, a company vehicle or private pension plan 

  • Fringe benefits may link to ego needs in Maslow's hierarchy of needs especially if they are linked to employees' position in the organisational hierarchy


Wages & Salaries

  • Wages are usually paid to workers on the basis of hours worked (time rate) or items produced (piece rate)
     
  • Salaries are expressed on an annual basis and workers are paid a proportion on a periodic basis (usually each month)

  • Connects to safety needs in Maslow's hierarchy of needs and acts as a hygiene factor in Hertzberg's two-factor theory

  • Equitable and sufficient pay is required to avoid staff dissatisfaction and retain workers

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Steve Vorster

Author: Steve Vorster

Steve has taught A Level, GCSE, IGCSE Business and Economics - as well as IBDP Economics and Business Management. He is an IBDP Examiner and IGCSE textbook author. His students regularly achieve 90-100% in their final exams. Steve has been the Assistant Head of Sixth Form for a school in Devon, and Head of Economics at the world's largest International school in Singapore. He loves to create resources which speed up student learning and are easily accessible by all.