A Compassionate Leader

A dear friend called me to have yet another one of our philosophical discussion on a recent predicament at work.

It was that time of the year when managers have to write performance evaluations and allocate rewards.  Once the managers complete performance assessments and distribution of the bonuses and salary increases, it goes through a review process with senior leaders.  One senior leader had requested a change in one of the bonus recommendations. 

As with any sensible leader, the intention is always there to reward those who perform well for the organization.  It is like an investment in them and the company’s future.

In this case, the dilemma was to allocate the full assigned bonus amount to a person who was pretty much on leave for the whole year.  Even when that person returned, he wasn’t in a position to complete even some of the basic expectations.

There was a life threatening condition and the ongoing treatment had completely debilitated him.  In this situation, other colleagues in the team pitched in and took care of the responsibilities in addition to their own.

Now the question was whether it was the correct thing to do from a company and team’s perspective.  It would have been easily justified why that person should get a bit less and others who went above and beyond their duties were recognized for their hard work.  So, what is the correct thing to do?  That individual was already receiving full remuneration in spite of absence.  It must have helped his family to tide over the difficult period.  Though we don’t know what future holds for that family, this generosity will certainly benefit them.  As leaders, what should we prioritize?  Take care of the fallen or reward those who are running the show even with all such challenges?  What is fair and to what extent?

At the end, we concluded that compassion is unreasonable.  The senior leadership was aligned with this view and perhaps was recipient of such generosity in the past.  In my opinion, humanity prevailed and the right decision was made at the end.  Fortunately, the company had a fantastic year and was able to afford handsome bonuses for all its employees.  What happens to those in similar health condition but their employer is not as supportive?  It must have been divine grace which kept this person employed and receive the kind of support from his team and leaders.