<P> Susan J. Wells, a writer for HR Magazine, expresses her take on Merit Pay and its meaning in No Results, No Raise . Wells believes that the concept of' Tough Love' makes a more profound impact on the balance of protecting and rewarding those whose performance excels and those whose performance could be improved . Wells elaborates that not rewarding low performers with a merit increase at the end of the year is an ideal way of showing' Tough Love .' The idea gives low performing employees a year to improve their performance and receive constant feedback from managerial staff . </P> <P> The importance of the merit system in a work place is to provide good quality work to the public . When merit is truly assessed in the process of hiring or promoting personnel, an honest, effective, and productive workplace is created . Employees build organizations and the service they provide to customers allows the organization to be successful . Without its employees or customers, an organization would be doomed . Motivated and happy employees are the key principle of the merit system . Employees who are satisfied with their jobs are likely to provide a higher level of productivity (more work in less time - costing organizations less money), less likely to quit (low or lower employee turnover rates), great communication for voicing workplace concerns (trust and comfort between supervisor and employees), little to no abuse of company benefits / incentives, i.e.: lunch breaks, sick leave, bonuses, etc . Bottom line, administration is responsible for providing and setting the atmosphere and standards of a workplace that result in success . </P> <P> The merit system is criticized that it leads to uncooperative behaviors between employees creating conflict that produces low work ethics . Merit system is based on performance compensation that encourages competition among employees, creating a competitive environment that puts employees at odds with one another . This can lead to unwanted behavior that can affect productivity . Disrupting team unity to look better on reviews and personal goals becomes more important than team goals . </P>

Who opposed the federal civil service merit system