Beyond salary: Cost, performance targets on human worth
There is a popular Akan proverb: “Nea ɔsua nsuo na ɔbo abuduru gu.
” Literally, it means “the one who fetches water is the one likely to break the pot.”
The proverb reflects effort, responsibility and the risks that come with active work.
Some employees genuinely strive to perform well, yet may still fail to meet targets due to circumstances beyond their control.
As the government seeks to introduce a system that links salaries to employee productivity, care must be taken to ensure that performance targets improve work output without undermining human dignity.
In a message on the Global Day of Solidarity for Workers, the Chief Executive of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), Dr George Smith-Graham, highlighted the Commission’s focus on Performance-Based Pay, where excellence is recognised, innovation rewarded, and effort linked to financial outcomes.
The Executive Director of Africa Education Watch (Eduwatch), Kofi Asare, also warned that examination malpractice in Ghana’s senior high schools may not be caused solely by students, but by unrealistic performance targets imposed on teachers and headmasters.
When success is judged mainly by results, pressure can distort behaviour and compromise integrity.
Challenge
This challenge extends beyond education.
Targets are widely used in workplaces to guide and measure performance. In principle, they provide direction.
However, when they are unrealistic or poorly enforced, they create fear rather than motivation.
Targets themselves are not the problem; enforcement is. In some workplaces, employees are shouted at, blamed, or humiliated when targets are not met.
Rather than asking what went wrong, some leaders focus on assigning fault. In such environments, dignity becomes the first casualty.
In Ghana, it is not uncommon to see workers publicly reprimanded by supervisors, sometimes by people younger or less experienced than they are.
Some organisations demand excellent results but fail to provide adequate training, resources, or support.
Observations from some Public Accounts Committee sittings also suggest that public servants are occasionally subjected to harsh treatment when their performance or responses fail to meet expectations.
In some instances, unsavoury remarks lead to heated exchanges and withdrawn responses from officials involved.
Pressure can also encourage unhealthy behaviour. Some employees spend their own money to satisfy clients or meet expectations, while others may manipulate records to appear successful.
When organisations value numbers more than integrity, workers are forced into difficult choices.
Research highlights the emotional cost of such environments.
Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace Report 2023 found that Ghanaian workers rank among the most stressed in Sub-Saharan Africa, reflecting the pressures many face in demanding workplaces.
Compassionate accountability
According to Duncan D. R. (2023), compassionate accountability does not lower standards to maintain peace, nor does it sacrifice human dignity in pursuit of results.
Instead, it separates the person from the behaviour, allowing accountability to be applied with empathy and respect.
Workers do not always miss targets because they are lazy.
Personal difficulties such as health problems, family concerns, or financial pressures may affect performance.
Effective leaders seek to understand these challenges before assigning blame.
Good leaders ask important questions: Do workers have the right tools? Do they understand their tasks?
Do they have enough time and support? When these conditions are absent, performance may suffer regardless of effort.
Stacey Barr (2023) argues that poorly designed targets should not focus only on numbers; they should connect employees to a meaningful purpose.
A recent study by researchers working with Ghana’s National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) found that goal-setting significantly improved worker productivity, while only 10 per cent of participants reported increased stress.
This shows that targets can be effective when they are realistic, supportive and human-centred.
Targets may measure performance, but leadership determines whether people succeed or suffer. Ultimately, leadership determines whether targets build performance or break people.
The writer is an Institutional Assessment Practitioner.
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