Why buy the cow when you can get the milk free?

The "free milk" analogy my Irish grandmother used to say came to mind when a client shared her recent experience of "putting out." My client, Jill, has been in a long-term relationship but lamented about how "putting out" is not leading anywhere. Aha, just like my Irish grandmother said!

Jill is not a high school girl learning to maneuver the dating world. She is a forty-something executive maneuvering the corporate world.

Jill is frustrated about doing the work of three people without being rewarded for it. In September, three departments merged under one VP. Jill was the one to remain, and the other two were transitioned out. At the time, Jill did not want to rock the boat by asking about aligning her compensation with her responsibilities. So, she's been doing it without complaint, without a significant raise, and without an increase in resources. And, the company has not acknowledged it.

While we could discuss whether a man would have demanded a raise at the time, my question is, "Why should the company acknowledge it?"

Why would the company buy the cow when they are getting the milk free?

Jill's expectation that the company would eventually realize what an outstanding contribution she is making--and she is!--is risky and cowardly. As I've said often, including in the book Put Your Whole Self In!, the cross-your-fingers-and-hope plan rarely yields big results. When Jill is ready to do something about her current situation, she will need to talk with her boss about aligning her compensation and responsibilities.

High performing companies who want to keep their high performing people pay attention to them. Whether it is the president whom Jill reports to or the VP of HR, someone should be aware of the disparity between Jill's responsibilities and compensation. And, they should honor her by fixing it.

To answer the question, the company should "buy the cow" because eventually that cow is going to quit giving free milk. It might even give sour milk, while telling all the other cows in the field to do the same thing.