Is it right for an employer to dangle something in front of you as bait?

Humans are simple people. We need to be rewarded for what we do. We need little tips and tricks to keep us in the game. We need to be incentivized to do the things we do, or else we might lose sight of them completely. This is true at work, where bonuses and salary bumps help you stay motivated to do your work. But what would you do if you found out that your coworker was making way more money than you for the same amount of work? Would that rub you the wrong way? It certainly did for this employee, who sought to rectify the situation with his manager. The problem was, though, that his manager was not ready to fully commit to the raise. He was going to have to earn it. 

There is nothing wrong with earning a raise. In fact, you should earn your keep. If you were rewarded for no improvement in work, then how would that be fair? You wouldn’t be incentivized to improve. But you also have to realize the optics of a situation. If you’re paying somebody so much more for the same amount of work, and the employees figure that out, then it’s going to look bad. It’s going to look like you’re playing favorites.