Are You Bringing Value to the Hour?

Today on Facebook I came across this Jim Rohn quote originally shared on the page of Passion Squared – a great business page to follow if you want a steady stream of encouragement and inspiration in your social media news feed.

You don’t get paid for the hour. You get paid for the value you bring to the hour. (Jim Rohn)

It begs the question, when was the last time that you thought about whether you’re bringing value to the hour?

employee relations employee value No matter whether you’re the boss or the person in the entry level position on the job, we all get paid by the hour in one form or another. We often do spend more time thinking that we’re not getting paid what we’re worth than we do evaluating whether we are bringing value to the hour. We often spend more time doing busy work to make the hours pass quickly than we do in making the hours count when it comes to the success of the organization or even our own businesses. In some ways, it’s hard to fight, because it’s human nature.

But if we focus more on adding value to the hour, we set the stage for change, and send very strong messages:

We tell our employers that we’re worth more. When your employer knows you are worth more they are more likely to value you to a greater extent. This might mean more pay now or at some point in the future, but recognition of worth may also come in other forms, such as thank you notes, improvements in working conditions, increased flexibility in working hours or choice of assignments, education and training, and so on.
We tell our employers that we can do more. Bringing value to the hour tells your employer that you want more, and that you’re ready for more. You don’t get to be “next in line” for a promotion simply by showing up and putting in your time. Smart business owners promote and reward employees who add value to the time they’re putting in.
We tell our customers that we care about them. If you’re just showing up for the paycheck, believe me, customers can tell. Employee indifference accounts for customer defection in 7 out of 10 cases (which also tells you that there are an awful lot of people just showing up for the paychecks out there!)

And this is not just a message for employees. No one, at any level of an organization, gets to rest on their laurels if they want their business to be successful. The same rules that apply in a small organization, where it’s easy to see who is bringing value to the hour, apply in a large one.