It was logical and tailored to their needs. Now, it was up to them to bring it to life. And still, they couldn’t agree.

They didn’t like something. They were avoiding something.

Yet everything depended on it.

Sitting there, Eka felt that all the energy, time, and emotion she had poured into studying the company, developing evaluation criteria, writing formulas, and compiling the final document suddenly seemed insignificant.

It would become insignificant if the management team failed to implement the carefully crafted motivation scheme properly.

She looked at Giorgi, the senior consultant, who sat observing the speakers with furrowed brows, clearly deep in thought. It didn’t seem like he was sitting here in desperation, not like Eka.

The financial manager was still insisting:

The company didn’t have the resources to roll out a motivation scheme across all departments at once.

The department heads didn’t like that. Each had their reasons why their team should be prioritized.

“If we don’t start giving my employees bonuses soon, they’ll leave too — the ones who are still here,” the sales manager said, clearly frustrated. “It’s a real shame… They deserve to be first. If they’re not selling, where’s the income coming from? It wouldn’t be fair to make them wait. They’ll leave, for sure.”

“That’s understandable,” Kakha, the CEO, responded, “but what about the factory? Your sales team isn’t even sure they’ll meet their targets. They’ve exceeded them so far, sure — that’s why we’ve had a solid income… But they should earn the bonuses. Doesn’t the factory influence results too? If we lose that experience, everything falls apart.”

“That’s right,” added the factory head, who had been quiet until then. “They’re also unhappy with their pay. And they’d appreciate the bonuses. Their work is physical, exhausting. What they do is harder than memorizing product categories.”

“If that’s how we’re looking at it,” the warehouse and logistics head chimed in, “the warehouse team’s no less busy. They’ve barely learned the new software, and they’re constantly correcting inventory mistakes. Sure, they may not impact revenue directly, but they need motivation too. It’s good that the more they process, the more bonus funds they accumulate… and that they distribute those funds as a team. But I’m worried—” he glanced at Eka, then at Giorgi, “—if we start deducting from those already modest bonuses for every mistake, we might end up demotivating them even more…”

“Maybe at first,” Giorgi nodded, raising his eyebrows slightly, “but they’ll adapt. Over time, they’ll make fewer mistakes. Plus, their bonuses are tied directly to how many discrepancies they detect.”

The warehouse manager nodded, understanding.

Now, the head of marketing and branding raised his hand.

“Sorry, I have to say something, if I may… I want everyone to get the bonuses they deserve. I get that we can’t cover everyone at once. My team wants bonuses too, obviously. But we need to agree on priorities and start somewhere. If at least some people start receiving bonuses, others will hold onto hope… right?”

“Sorry, but it may not work that way,” the head of administration leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. “I know how much people have been waiting for this. If we give it to one group and leave the others waiting, it’ll only cause confusion. It’s unfair. Either we launch it for everyone, or we wait.”

Her words triggered another wave of arguments, and Eka and Giorgi exchanged glances.

Eka now worried she’d missed something in the diagnostic stage — hadn’t studied the situation well enough.

But they had conducted so many interviews. They had met so many employees. They had taken in their emotions, expectations, frustrations.

Some had worked here for years and still felt unappreciated. Some weren’t even thanked, despite having saved the company from significant losses. Sure, it was their job. But a simple “thank you” would’ve made them feel like people. Not to mention the rewards.

When Eka and Giorgi arrived with this project, it gave these people hope.

They thought maybe the company did care.

Apparently, the managers cared about employee morale and loyalty, too.

People believed change was coming. That they’d finally get fair compensation for their work.

So many had come to interviews with a spark in their eyes. Some had thanked Eka and Giorgi just for listening to their opinion.

She had truly believed they wouldn’t let them down — that, by the end of this project, they would be able to make them happy.

Many were also frustrated by stagnant salaries. The only way to earn more was to become a manager. But most had no desire for that. They liked what they did.

She still remembered the satisfaction she felt when she and Giorgi had proposed a tailored solution: salaries could increase based on the qualifications needed for one’s current role. They’d discussed it thoroughly. Eventually, everyone agreed — a person could grow even within a single position, and rewarding that growth would benefit both the company and the employees.

Of course, some remained skeptical. Loyal veterans who simply didn’t believe change was possible anymore.

Most of all, Eka didn’t want to let these ones down. She didn’t want this to become just another wasted initiative. She wanted to prove to them that they could be content where they were, not because the job market was tough, but because this place might actually be worth staying for.

But now, the management’s infighting was chipping away at that hope.

To her, it wasn’t just a question of finances — the real challenge was poor communication. Nobody seemed willing to consider anyone else’s point of view.

The biggest risk was that no one would take ownership of the implementation. Perhaps they needed a little extra motivation — even a one-time push. She scribbled a note to ask Giorgi about it later.

Maybe all projects were like this. She wanted to say something that would resolve everything, but it was her first project of this kind, and she had no idea how to convince them that the plan really could work.

She looked at Giorgi. He was frowning again. Maybe he was finally about to speak.

Then Kakha banged his hand on the table three times.

“We’ll never agree like this. Giorgi, would you please help us?”

All eyes turned to him. Giorgi sighed, closed his laptop, and stared at the table. For a moment, silence.

The air in the room thickened.

Finally, Giorgi looked up and began, without meeting anyone’s eyes:

“Every task we’ve taken on — and this one is no exception — has its own unique difficulties. Here, the challenge was capturing employees’ wishes and aligning them with the company’s resources. We all agree, I think, that a company’s results come from its people. Some contribute directly, others more indirectly. But the key is that everyone sees their contribution reflected fairly. Only then will there be a sense of justice. Only then will they support one another.”

“A sense of justice is good,” Kakha said, shrugging, “but not everyone sees fairness the same way. What’s fair to one may not be fair to another…”

Giorgi nodded. “True. But we worked closely with your people — they were honest in the interviews. They told us what fairness looked like to them: how they wanted to be evaluated, who should evaluate them, and when they’d feel truly valued.

“They were quite realistic, all things considered. Together, we reached the best possible compromise. That’s how we landed on objective, workable criteria. If we abandon that now, it’s not just sales that’ll suffer — the whole company will feel the loss. People will think their time was wasted. That the company doesn’t really care. And yet, many of them are already loyal. That loyalty, if nurtured, is what will keep them here. But the company must be honest, too. If you pull the rope toward yourself and only think about budgets, you might lose your most valuable resource: your people.

“Our job, as we see it, is to make sure this doesn’t remain a paper plan. I take personal responsibility for ensuring that this is implemented — realistically, logically, and fairly.

“So, here’s what we propose: focus on the most critical areas — sales, production, and warehouse — and commit to motivating them for the first six months. Reassure everyone else that their bonus schemes will launch within the year. If sales go well, if orders are processed on time and with quality, and if the warehouse stays organized, the financial results will follow. Employees will be satisfied. And so will you. That’s how this system is meant to work.”

When Giorgi finished, Eka felt a weight lift off her shoulders. She smiled and looked around the room. The tension had softened. People were smiling, nodding.

She instinctively checked her phone as the elevator doors closed.

It was already 9.

Her face was flushed. Her whole body ached from sitting so long. But more than anything, she felt satisfaction.

An unfamiliar kind of satisfaction. Maybe the first of its kind.

She had completed her first project.

She had helped solve her first complex challenge.

She was satisfied because she finally had hope; hope that none of this effort would go to waste.

Something deep in her gut told her: this work would make a difference.