In: Operations Management
Some employers pay their workers with a hybrid compensation program which is composed of a flat salary plus incentive pay. For example, a pharmaceutical sales associate may be paid a base salary of $2,000 per month plus a 10% commission on their sales. The compensation scheme can be altered by offering more incentive for the workers (e.g., a lower base salary and a higher commission) or more safety and fairness for workers (e.g., a higher base salary and a lower commission). A hybrid pay scheme may overcome some of the drawbacks of incentive pay.
Suppose a firm uses sales teams to market their products. For example, a construction equipment manufacturer may assign three sales agents to a team so each team member can specialize in particular product functions (e.g., mechanical systems, electronic systems, and software systems). What are the potential drawbacks of hybrid pay for firms that employ sales teams? What are the drawbacks of hybrid pay for the members of the sales teams? Can we alter the hybrid scheme to overcome these drawbacks?
The Hybrid pay system has following drawback:
Yes, some drawbacks can be overcome by: