Wrong Compensation. A semiconductor chip maker conducted an experiment. Workers worked four days a week and took a break. On the first workday, Monday, if they produced a certain number of chips, the company gave them a $30 bonus to motivate their work. However, there was no compensation for the remaining three days. The same bonus was offered again when work resumed after the holidays. The workers were divided into groups, and only on the first day did they earn a bonus: the first group received no reward, the second group was paid the same amount, the third group received a pizza coupon, and the fourth group got a compliment text message, with their productivity monitored for the other three days. Results showed that the first group, with no compensation, had the lowest productivity. The highest productivity was seen in the praise letter group, followed by the other groups. The company suffered a loss because of the $30 bonus. Social motivation and financial motivation are different....
Doing nothing is also media content. The media showed others something with the obsession that something had to be done. The Norwegian national broadcasting company, NRK, showcased only the scenery of the railroad between Bergen and Oslo for 7 hours and 20 minutes in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the railway’s opening. In 2011, they aired 134 hours of ferry service along the fjord coast. Railroad broadcast ratings were 15% (four times the usual), and ferry broadcasts were watched by 64% of all Norwegians. If you know that humans are not the main characters in our lives, you are guaranteed more fun. Proof of existence and achievement is not everything in our lives. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”