Goldman Sachs recently set aside enough bonus money to pay 36,000 of their staff $500,000 each.
Nearly as much as I’ve earned in, insert thoughtful pause, in a long long time. I wonder what those people know that I don’t. I wonder what they tell their clients that is more important, than not to drink the water in Bali and to be careful of the pick pockets in Mexico City. Surely looking after clients around the world on a 24/7 basis, being able to evacuate someone at the drop of a hat, coordinating airline schedules to have extended families arrive at the exact spot, at an exact time from seven different destinations qualifies me for some of that money.
People are prepared to pay obscene money to someone, to make them more money. Yet not much, to the local travel agent, to make the only commodity they can’t get more of, time, the most pleasurable of their lives. Okay it’s not brain surgery, but what is, other than brain surgery?
Why do we stay?
In his latest book ‘Linchpin’, Seth Godin talks about Richard Florida and the twenty thousand creative professionals (doesn’t that describe travel) he polled and gave a range of factors that motivated them to do their best work. The top ten ranked in order were -
1. Challenge and responsibility.
2. Flexibility.
3. Stable work environment.
4. Money.
5. Professional development.
6. Peer recognition.
7. Stimulating colleagues and bosses.
8. Exciting job content.
9. Organisational culture.
10. Location and community.
Money is the only extrinsic motivator on that list. For travel, money is likely to be a couple of places lower. All the rest are areas we value and do for ourselves and our clients.
In a world driven by commerce, the creative and stimulating side of business is generally not recompensed accordingly. Yet I believe they contribute the most to the well being of people.
Travel people deserve more money for what they do but they won’t sacrifice that, if their creativity and freedom to service their clients is compromised.
Goldman Sachs can have the money. We just want them to spend some of it with us.
1 comment:
Hi Oliver,
Thanks for another thought provoking blog article. I reckon we don't get paid equivalent to our level of professionalism(and why the public doesn't want to pay us the kind of fees other professionals are paid) is that our job is perceived by outsiders to be glamorous and exciting. Even some of the bosses think the same way ("you're lucky to work in this industry"). So if clients don't perceive us as professionals and don't appreciate the levels of training that many of us go through (not to mention the unpaid hours we work)then they will continue to resist paying the kinds of fees we'd need to earn to enable our pays to be increased in any substantial way.
Of course the other side of the coin are the so called travel agents who work for those few chains who pay them based on retainer and commission. They can make lots of money but we know how that can end up, just refer to the horrendous News Ltd article last week!
Meanwhile I'll make a copy of your list and hang it on the wall by my desk to remind me of the 9 things on the list that keep me in the game!
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