What happened to "thanks?"

At no time in the article "Reach for More Pay" (September/October 2006) did you tell the person who got the raise to say "thank you." I gave all of my staff members a raise without anyone asking for one, and I didn't get one "thank you." Should I take it away?

There are two sides to the story. And in my experience, being nice gets you nowhere.

Name withheld by request

Lorraine Monheiser List responds:

I feel for you. Clearly you feel unappreciated. However, compensation between a practice and its team members is more like a purchase of services than a gift, so expecting thanks may be unrealistic.

In my experience, employees don't say thanks for a raise unless you tell them the news face to face in a private, one-on-one setting. Thank yous are more common for bonuses or unexpected rewards, like movie tickets.

Furthermore, most practices caution employees not to discuss compensation, and even saying "thank you" might imply to a bystander that someone got a better raise than everyone else—and would be enough to start the rumor mill grinding. And if someone who didn't receive a raise overheard the comment, that would rub salt in a wound.

Perhaps you should evaluate how often you say thank you to your team members. And think about how often you give them reasons—and opportunity—to thank you.

Lorraine Monheiser List, CPA, Med

Summit Veterinary Advisors

Littleton, Colo.