How many times has an employee asked for a raise, saying something like “I’ve been here for x-number of years” or “Joe is getting more money than I am.”

These seem to be justifiable reasons for getting a raise. But they don’t show any understanding of the real issue, which is how much worth is the employee to your business.

I’ve watched employees move so slowly that it seemed unlikely that they would get any work done at all. But at the end of the day they have accomplished a great deal. Others fly around so fast you are not even sure you saw them. But their total output for the day is close to zero. Which one is worth more? That’s a no brainer if ever there was one.

Employees are with us for one reason only and that is to make money for our company. We generally don’t run woodworking shops as philanthropic enterprises intended to provide a life for those who otherwise might not have one.

The tricky part is getting them to understand that concept.