It is clear that people work for a salary and that money is key to sustaining our expenses. However, no matter how many zeros the salary receipt has, we may not be happy with our work and this negatively impacts the quality of life. The well-being of collaborators is as important as money and, in that sense, for some time now there has been talk of the concept of ‘Emotional salary ’ that we could define as all the non-monetary remuneration that a worker receives. For Cecilia Rodríguez Casey, Graduated in Psychology and director of the consultancy Rodríguez Casey & Asociados, emotional salary is a term that in principle hides a paradox since salary is associated with monetary remuneration: receiving money for a job. While the world of emotions and feelings seems to be going down another lane. However, it is interesting as a concept to reflect on since it accounts for something very studied in recent years and the axis of the concerns of directors, managers and areas of human capital, such as talent retention and employee motivation. “We know that people don't quit jobs just for a bad salary. That point along with tangible or material benefits are important, although not unique. In the postpandemic context there seems to be a clearer and deeper agreement on the importance of health, well-being, satisfaction, the balance between personal and work life, among others. In that sense emotional salary are all non-material remuneration that collaborators receive in their work environment”, he argues.
Implement an emotional salary brings benefits for all the actors involved. Both organizations and their workers are strengthened by carrying out this type of initiative. As Casey explains, we all seek to integrate good work environments where actions generate greater satisfaction, well-being and take into account the mental and emotional health of employees. People are more likely to want to stay in a collaborative work environment than a hostile one. Yes in the workplace the particular needs of people are taken into account (attending to each stage of life), receives support and help from employer, peers and authority, people are going to stay, develop and do their best. “In short, commitment increases –the famous Engagement – and people do not restrict their contribution since they do the work with greater joy and with more satisfaction. A very tangible and measurable benefit is the decrease in absenteeism. If we work for general health and prevention (physical-mental-social health), people get less sick and keep their stress and anxiety levels moderate. Consequently, the company will have higher general productivity and profitability”, Casey says.
In the case of employees, if there is a good climate promoted by emotional salary which can include from benefit programs such as promoting health prevention, training, recreational activities, respect for non-working hours, facilities such as time flexibility, remote or hybrid work, and development plans, among others, workers find in this company a place that encourages their own growth and takes care of their health. “That weighs a lot when it comes to deciding to stay there to make a career or find a better environment. Taking into account and planning concrete actions to promote emotional wages is a good medicine compared to the psychosocial risk factors that exist in all companies and must be measured and controlled.”, details the specialist.
A common mistake by some organizations is to believe that low financial compensation can be compensated with emotional wages. “Breaking this issue and believing that one thing makes up for the other is dismissing people's needs. We have to be serious and train ourselves on these issues in depth who we work or advise in the areas of human capital or directors. Good decisions must be made with an action plan that contains a good diagnosis of the population of each company and not copy models or fall into generalities”, concludes emphatically.
