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I’ve never been stiffed on a commission check when leaving a job. Talking to a few colleagues about work horror stories of the past, I realized I may be the exception.
We’re in a Quitter’s Market (yes, that’s the Great Resignation rebrand). Everyone has a low threshold for bullsh*t. Geographic barriers are gone and the floodgates of opened.
That’s what a lot of companies misunderstand about the retention challenge of The Remote Age. It isn’t really about remote flexibility.
👉It’s that everyone has 100x more opportunities than they used to.
Everyone on your team is flooded with InMails. Daily. The question is will they open them and reply?
Which is where retention strategies come in. Good ones and bad ones.
Good: Creating an environment people truly enjoy. They don’t look elsewhere because - get this - they’re happy.
Bad: Messing with people’s cash.
Stiffing people on a commission check is the far, far shadier version of the yearly bonus payout. It’s often not spoken aloud. Clear policies aren’t set. You’re letting people roll the dice at their own peril.
I.e. Go ahead and quit. Maybe you’ll get paid out. Maybe not. Only one way to find out…
Not exactly an uplifting vibe. And people do find out. Get this: your team actually talks to each other when you’re not around. And they check Glassdoor.
When the word gets out, bad retention strategies become bad hiring hurdles. No one wants to work for the shop that will screw you over one day.
I’m probably yelling into the clouds here. Any org that routinely withholds commissions has no interest in becoming a ‘good’ environment anyway.
👉But if you’re looking for a new job yourself, do yourself a favor. Ask around about commission payouts before accepting.
You can follow me on LinkedIn here and Twitter here. Join the discussion on this LinkedIn post (or give it a 👍) here.