Dedication vs Obligation

I never had a policy; I have just tried to do my very best each and every day.  ~Abraham Lincoln

We all have our days where we can't seem to dig up enough 'care' to do anything right, much less do it well. But keep trying we must, to maintain and improve our work, our relationships, and efforts toward our goals (whatever they may be). A recent decision, made by the company I work for, to not compensate workers for their days off duty (power out = can't operate) has got employees in a uproar about their belief that the company is 'obligated' to pay them anyway.  Is it really this company's obligation to pay them, or would it be just a way for the company to buy the employee's increased dedication?  Let's analyze dedication vs obligation....

Start with a simple area, like relationships. :)

Say you get married to some woman and promise to love, cherish, blah blah blah on the alter to the Almighty. You are, with that step, promising to do the basics in a relationship, to meet your OBLIGATION to them. You will give them companionship, intimacy, provide emotional and possibly even some financial support. Is that enough for the relationship to thrive?  In most cases, no.  What you have to do to keep a relationship going for the long haul is to show your DEDICATION to your partner by going above and beyond those obligatory acts.  From the guy's role, he might plan some vacations, give surprise gifts 'just because', buy her mother's birthday card before the wifey reminds of the date of her birthday, etc.  On the gal's side she could not buy a few outfits and instead upgrade his outdoor grill, get a new piece of lingerie to surprise him when he returns from a work trip, or hand detail/wash his car before he wakes up so he can have a pristine ride in to the job.  These are all those extra things that would show your DEDICATION to the relationship and, I promise you, will result in your partner being supremely happy and never wanting to leave (baring a major screw up on your part).

Now to the work arena.  What a company is obligated to do for its workers is (major points only):

1) Provide them with pay for work completed based on the rate agreed at hire
2) Provide a safe working environment that, if safety rules are followed, would not result in bodily harm
3) Provide breaks based on the number of hours for that shift
4) Send you your W2s when taxes are due

These are the absolute basic obligations from an employer.  If they do anything more than that for you, then they are giving it to you with the hopes that you will, in return, give your dedication to the company (or until they don't need your services anymore).  Some of the things they may do to gain your dedication:

1) Pay you a bonus
2) Increase your annual salary
3) Give you vacation days,paid sick days, paid holidays
4) Provide medical/dental/optical insurance coverage
5) Negotiate discounts from local service providers
6) Give you options for stock/bonds/401K buy in
7) Access to onsite drink/snack/supply machines

These are just a few of the items companies could give, but there are countless items or services that could be offered.  The more the company offers, the more dedicated an employee should be to providing the greatest effort in their duties.  In the end, it should be a win-win situation for both entities due to the company avoiding having to train a newbie, the employee feeling appreciated and building their own financial stability, and shared knowledge and experience for what works in business from both ends of the employment relationship.

To sum it up, whether you are working with a supervisor or a spouse, keep in mind that as long as they are providing you with what they are OBLIGATED to give you, you should not complain about not getting anything in addition to that. If you get anything extra over and beyond that which they are obligated to provide to you through the course of the relationship/employment, then appreciate it (gosh darn it) and make sure you return the favor by DEDICATING yourself to them.  They will, most likely, return the favor again and the reward cycle continues.  Even better, you could give your dedication to them before they give anything extra to you. (Its called being a good person...)

Good rule to Success:  Try harder today than yesterday