Compensation
Well, people often confuse employee compensation with pay. These are two different terms with different meanings and implications. Compensation is more than monetary value that a company offers to its employee for work performed well. Pay, on the other hand, is the wages or salaries that employees receive after a period after working. Compensation comes in terms of sick leaves, rewards, bonuses, child care, commission, clothing, cell phones, dental insurance, health care insurance, flexible working schedules, elder care, employee assistance, disability insurance, personal days, hourly wages, holiday pay, life insurance, laundry services, retirement programs, moving expenses among many other services. An organization that gives generous compensation attracts more employees and retains them for longer (Bianchi, Casper, & King, 2005). Compensation is also used to compete for the top talent. Compensation is protected by the federal government to ensure that employees are treated equitably. It is the human resource department and the managers that determine the compensations and employee will receive. These compositions are not based on race, gender or creed.
The most apparent reason why employees should be compensated is that a company should not expect something for free. Everything, including excellent performance and productivity, comes with a price. I agree that employees deserve compensation to perform better in their workplaces. Compensations motivate employees and improve their productivity. A company that does not compensate its employees is operating unlawfully and unethically (Bianchi, Casper, & King, 2005). Compensation is a benefit to the employee and the company. Employees deserve good working conditions and fair treatment to maximize their productivity. However, not all employees should be compensated all the time. Only the performing employees deserve a compensation and not the lazy and underperforming staff. This is to encourage all the employees to work hard to gain compensation.
Reference
Bianchi, S. M., Casper, L. M., & King, R. B. (Eds.). (2005). Work, family, health, and well-being (pp. 21-42). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.