GMAT Essays (AWA)

Excellent source here! I know you guys aren't paid to sit around and rate essays all day, but I would truly appreciate it if you could give this a quick glance and rate/give some quick tips. I'll be taking the GMAT tomorrow, so any tips I get will be extremely helpful!



"Seniority (years of service) should not be the basis of employee compensation. Employees should be promoted and given raises solely on the basis of their work performance and merit. That is a better way to encourage high productivity."

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations or reading.



The issue of whether or not to award merit based on seniority is a controversial one. On the one hand, companies must provide greater benefits to those with seniority, which can be costly and uncompetitive for the company. On the other hand, employees can be encouraged to be more productive knowing that they will be rewarded by their long-term efforts. I believe that compensation based on seniority is essential for company growth.

The chief reason for my view is that employees at seniority-based work environments have role models to whom they can look up to. Employees can seek to emulate the work patterns of their seniors with the goal of obtaining the same benefits and status. This in turn encourages employees to remain faithful to the company and work hard to achieve their goals of seeking seniority themselves.

Another reason is that companies that reward people based on their seniority can gain the image of being more stable and secure. For example, the company Coca Cola honors its employees, which has helped establish its positive reputation. Nike on the other hand will forever be known as the company that refused to properly reward its employees when it outsourced and underpaid its workforce. Companies should bear in mind the treatment of their employees will strongly impact their reputation, and hence their sales.

Finally, companies that make the improvident decision to reward employees merely based on work performance will create an unhealthy atmosphere of over-competitivity. This will cause employees to suffer emotional stress at work, and underperform relative to employees at seniority-based work places. At the school I teach at, for example, teachers who provide many years of service retain the same compensation and benefits as those who first arrive. Since the school merely rewards based on work performance, long-term teachers feel the need to constantly out-perform their coworkers, creating an atmosphere of jealousy and mistrust.

Rewarding employees based on their work performance may in the short-term provide greater productivity, but rewarding teachers based on seniority provides role models for employees, a better image for companies, and a healthy, more enjoyable work environment.

(completion time:25 minutes)