Salary for show

I once worked in a company where it was impossible to talk about my salary under fear ... I do not even know what. Just as children are horrified by the fact that “adults abuse”, so we were afraid to share it. We could only guess what punishment awaited us.

Still, everyone knew everything. Why? Because in order for the law to work, behind it should be the idea that the majority shares. What was the idea behind this law? The idea of hiding unfair wages . After all, if it is fair, then why hide it?

When I started my business, I copied my employer in many ways. In miniature. I was funny, like a 30-centimeter tennis .

An example of idiocy : we had a mailing list for managers, where two people were signed. That is, in fact, we wrote to each other, but through the mailing list on the mail server. “Someday there will be more of us,” we said to ourselves.

Once I realized that it looks like a monkey Stephenson .

5 monkeys in a cage, a banana and a small ladder .

A classic experiment that shows how we observe rules in which we see no point.

Stage 1 . Five monkeys were planted in a cage and a ladder was placed that leads to a banana. When one of the monkeys climbs behind a banana, everyone splashes cold water. Not only her, but all. The second one climbs again. Bottom line: all the monkeys have learned a lesson and do not climb anywhere.

Stage 2. One of the monkeys taught by life is replaced by a new one. That naive soul immediately climbs behind a banana, only in order to get rid of the other four. This goes on three more times. Amazing next: new monkeys, who never received a squash, actively participated in the mote new.

Stage 3. Changed all the monkeys. Nobody knows why they are beating, but everyone is beating new ones.

So am I. I have never been punished for non-disclosure, I did not understand why this rule, but I diligently defended it. So I stopped being Stephenson's ape. At least in this.

Distraction: How much are we stuck in our judgments as a whole? What if other holy revered rules are no better? For example, the holiness of the flag. Or disgust before incest. Learn more about Professor Jonathan Heidt’s moral dilemmas .

How I started to account for expenses

I decided that people should know how much the company earns. Or vice versa, it loses.

It did not come right away. Yes, many people say that in business you need to measure everything (for example, Bob Pritchet in Fire someone today rus eng ). But at first I thought it was a waste of time for accounting. I still think so now: if everything is interesting and money flows like water, then there is nothing to be distracted.

We did not have time to count the money. They were considered rooms, so it’s hard to say how much money was there. These rooms were not guarded - come in and take it. Security would cost more. ” Mavrodi

However, when money ceases to flow like a river, you can also glance: from where they flow, to where they flow. This is a useful analysis. At some point I made a discovery that half the company's budget is made up of my expenses for the office and the personal driver. It was a funny time.

My office was like a minister: from my desk I could not turn off the air conditioner. The console was under the fire.

I also had a driver. Although I lived 10 minutes on foot from the office, the driver came every day from Reutov to take me too in 10 minutes. Kadyrov's motorcade on a scale of 1:42.

How I changed everything

It so happened that once I fired everyone. Why and why is a separate conversation, but it was the right step. And it didn’t stop there: once having opened my eyes to the insanity that is happening around, it is difficult to close them again. So I did a lot more, including the salary.

Once upon a time I read a book about a Brazilian dude , owner of factories. One day, he opened accounting to workers. He explained to them how it works, what money is spent on and where their salaries come from.

Two years have passed since I read the book, and I did the same. Why two years? Because when I read, I did not take into account incomes and expenses. Somehow, something was made out by an accountant, and I was busy with other things.

How I discovered expenses

I am very bad at cost accounting. When we set up the first office with a partner, it turned out that I:

1. half forgot
2. recorded nothing.

My companion and I sat and recalled: “And here we bought some more sockets, how were they?” .
Therefore, I myself no longer keep records of expenses, but trust others. Well, or they do not trust me - a joke. The VusualPharm takes into account the costs of my colleague. Since she is dedicated to spending more than me, she couldn’t have complete secrecy from wages.

But finally I was convinced by fat Phil from Evernote (the story in book 4 Hour Body ). He began to record daily weight and otherwise did not change anything. And lost weight. I thought that if we all find out monthly income and expenses, we will save more and earn more.

To make the news of our income and expenses more interesting, I’ve become:

• add employees one percent profit
• or deduct one percent from losses.

The idea is that they should look at the amount that came to their account as a salary, and understand how the month went by for the company.

What came of it

As soon as I changed my salary, I prepared for the terrible:

• someone will ask for a raise
• someone quit
• the sky will cover with clouds and thunder
• it will rain from the frogs.

There were seconds, but nothing changed. News came a month later. When I awarded the prize, there were no questions. But some reverently reacted to any encroachment.

Problem number 1: Third-party work

Since I have three and a half separate businesses, and VisualPharm is only one of them, some things are divided into all:

• the responsibility of some employees is shared among all. For example, there is one system administrator who manages all the sites, and the business that needs him most and who hired him pays for him. Or accounting. Or purchases.
• Some services are shared between all businesses . For example, the server is paid by the one who needs a dedicated server, and the sites of other businesses with static content and little traffic are hosted by friends.

The question that occupied my colleagues was: why should we do what we don’t get money for . And even the opposite: something for which they deducted from us (a logical leap, which I understand so far only in part). At the same time, it is difficult to explain the parity distribution:

• Firstly, it is difficult to explain something that I am not sure about, but it is certainly difficult to establish the contribution of each business to each one.
• secondly, any contribution is asymmetrically evaluated.

The homework distribution paradox

When a husband and wife ask what percentage of homework each of them does, they get more than 100% in total. A husband can say: I do quite a bit, 40 percent. Wife: I do almost everything, 80 percent. The figures may vary, but in total they give more than 100% in the overwhelming majority of cases. Thus, people tend to overestimate their contribution and underestimate someone else's. Therefore, it is necessary to stop stoning women, the percentage of divorces is increasing.

So it is in business. VisualPharm employees are confident that they give more than they receive. What is the solution? Speak. At the bottom of the head we have a hole, called the mouth. It is needed in order to talk and negotiate (how to talk with an angry employee who threatens to “find a normal job” is the topic of a separate article).

Problem number 2: explain my salary

I also assigned myself a very modest salary. However, not everyone liked this decision. Their position: you are already the owner of the company and you make a profit, why should you also be charged a salary. The difference between dividends and salary in the case of a single owner is not visible. In this case, it seems the same, that is, double wages at the expense of colleagues.

My logic is different: the owner receives dividends. He invested his money, work, name, etc. in business. - and receives dividends. To do this, he does not need to work. If he also works, then he should receive payment. Thus, if my participation does not justify the salary that I pay myself, then there is a reason to dismiss me and take another employee.

Solution: again, talk, explain, and be prepared for the fact that doubts remain.

pros

First, I do not need to hide information from colleagues . This is openness. It's five. Besides, I have no opportunity to hide it. It is the same as not telling children about sex - they will still find out , only in the yard and in a distorted form. They will still know from each other if they want, just under what sauce?

Secondly, it seems to me (yes, here I enter into the realm of assumptions) that gives a clear idea of ​​the goals of the business . I can talk as much as I can about the fact that the goal of a business is to make money, but it will be an empty sound until it is backed by a cash equivalent. The confirmation here is both positive and negative.

About positive non-monetary stimulation

Throw a stone into the air and try to hold it with some intangible stimulus. Those who stood exactly under the stone can get a diploma at the exit.

On negative non-monetary stimulation

Have you ever seen how cars slow down on the highway in front of a gaish ambush, even if you observed the prescribed 90 + 20 = 110 km / h? Why? Because of the bribe fine. Would they slow down if all that threatened them was a road safety notation? In addition, if in response you can turn around and say: “I have a lot of work, can I not lose time”? (Free paraphrase from Nigel Latta ).

What else: open information creates an atmosphere of trust . We at work speak little about personal life, but this is not a personal life, right? This is a working life, and it should not resemble North Korea.

And, finally, focus on what to finally draw, where to work next month (Rio? Thailand?), Or just drink tea with a sweet cone. These are sold in a cafe opposite the Pushkin Museum, you just imagine.