Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't pay my employees based on inputs like how hard they work, I pay based on outputs. Any other system of incentives would be insane. Things are different if you're e.g. a lawyer and have billable hours.
I get this, but also genuinely interested to know how to measure outputs. For me it's almost impossible to get it objectively right. Maybe this doesn't apply to your case, but how would you measure outputs of say product development, or any data related project. Lot's of things don't have a good measure of output before the thing is done. Maybe your product / analysis improves profitability by 10x or maybe it was a f…
Measuring outputs or inputs (hard work) is always hard. Did someone get the thing that was asked done both quickly and correctly? Do they do this consistently?
I also find inputs harder to measure because someone could be in the office 12 hours/day, but on Facebook the whole time. They could also just spin their wheels doing 'fake' work.