Compensation Reflection Essay

Currently working for a property management company our compensation system seems to be all over the place. When you work in the field as a property manager or leasing agent you are paid hourly (usually ranging between $13.50 and $19.00) depending on your experience in leasing (so they say). In addition to your hourly wage you earn $100 commission (around $72.00 after taxes) per apartment rented with a 12 month lease signed, up to a $100 renewal commission per resident renewal, as well as quarterly bonuses which is determined by how well a building was run and whether or not the exceeded their budget for the quarter. Now, if you work in the Corporate Office you can be paid anywhere from $17.00 - $24.00 per hour, no commission, but you still get quarterly bonuses; and senior staff (CEO, COO, Directors)typically make $30.00 per hour and up and only get bonuses once a year.

As someone who has had experience working in the field and in Corporate, I can honestly say what kept me motivated in my position as a property manager was having a regional manager who congratulated me when I did something right/accomplished a task and would also tell me when I did something wrong. However when I was told I did something wrong I wasn’t reprimanded (in a way that was belittling or had a negative effect on my work ethic), instead she chose to educate me and show me how to do it right and explained the repercussions and severity of my mistakes in a way that made me improve my skills and make very little mistakes going forward.

I think my experience is a good example of Thorndike’s Law of Effect in that my work behavior was definitely shaped by consequences, good and bad. When I was told I did something well, I repeated that behavior and looked for ways to make it better; when I did something bad I didn’t want to do it again, but instead of shying away from it I learned how to do it the right way. More importantly, I was lucky enough to have the type of manager who knew how to use effective reinforcement with her employees in her portfolio which not only resulted in uniformity but is rumored to have her labeled as the better regional manager (of the other three regional managers with the company).

Not to mention, Thorndike’s theory is something that has been used and reinforced since childhood. As children we knew if we did something good, we got rewarded, if we did something bad there was some form of punishment. Though this may be a very