I still can’t get rid of that deep programming which forces me to work hard because if I work hard I get to keep my job and also get rewarded. I’ve been here for almost ten years, and witnessed so many times that it absolutely doesn’t matter how dedicated and competent you are. I’ve been seeing over and over how employees have been treated poorly and not valued. There is also a point that you reach, whether it is that you become too experienced and competent, therefore too expensive, or “too old”, when you become virtually unemployable. I really have to learn not to give a cr-p and do just minimum and collect the paycheck. I hope younger generations will not buy into professional ethics as they are fed to the workforce and into the whole narrative associating virtue with allowing work to absorb your life. At least for as long as companies treat us unethically.
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I am definitely type A. I only work extra on things I'm interested in. Otherwise, my work effort matches my pay and my meets expectations rating. Best believe, I'm going to keep on just meeting. Let leadership exceed at something for once. Maybe someone can make an extra payment on their summer house if they get a 4.
I do nothing all day long and get paid. Someone has to do the work. Glad it's you and not me.
100% feel the same way as OP and others. Type A, who naturally strives to be a high performer. I've learned over the years (here and elsewhere) that your only reward for having a strong work ethic is getting more work dumped on you. I have been slowly making changes to work my wage and let go of any attachment to ideas of going above and beyond or catalytizing any kind of change, let alone loyalty to my employer. And these days especially--employers cannot wait to replace you with AI.
@1jtj+1v1Oi7qD This is spot on. We were told by one previous, egotistical CFO, that it was "perfectly fine" to get a 3 on your annual review. He said just because you get a 3 doesn't mean you aren't doing a great job.
Managers are given quotas on how many 4's they can give. If a manager has a team of ten rock stars, they may be able to give only one or two 4's. It's a joke. Even if you get a 4, you may only get a merit increase of 0.25%-0.50% (or in a rare occurrence, an extra 1%), more than those that get a 3. So, as others have said, it doesn't really pay to go the extra mile and work harder for this company.
O.P. you like many of us have a good work ethic and it is hard, if not impossible, to turn that off. What we have to remember is what we have been contracted to do and do that.
@1nmc+1v1Oi7qD sounds like a solid plan! If they're so eager to be in control then let them. My team is the same way. We have a clique of people who trample on everyone else's time, effort, and suggestions. When it comes time to contribute, why bother? They only pretend to listen to you long enough to make it look good. Then they go do whatever they were going to do before they ever heard your ideas. Later they might even suggest your idea as if it's their own. It doesn't matter. You won't get greater than a "meets expectations" on your performance review anyway. You'll get a cr-ppy raise no matter how hard you work or how good your ideas are or how much + impact you have. Your peers that are in the clique will never include you, never really respect you, and don't care if their actions make your job more difficult. Don't volunteer to help those people. Don't let them know when you automate something. Just use it to benefit yourself and the people on your team that treat you with respect and dignity. The people in the cliques were probably in one in high school where they no doubt reached their peak. 🖕🏻them. They're a$$h0l3s.
I was cured of overwork pretty quickly after the second VP said in a TOWN HALL MEETING that it doesn’t matter how hard you work, you’ll still get a “meets” on your rating.
This was two different VPs in three years, who didn’t know each other at all. Just saying this with no awareness of the impact on their staff.
That's what I do. I am the most junior associate in my team. Most of the senior and old people ignore me from all the meetings and such leaving me with no work. I think it fills their ago thinking they run the shop. I just collect my pay check and literally sit around all day. In the end collecting more pay than them.
I shared these feelings and think it's probably pretty pervasive. They when someone shows you who they are to believe them. This company has been showing us they don't value loyalty, commitment, or hard work. They usually don't promote people or give them good raises. They give managers almost no budget to give out cash awards to high performers. They have taken away benefits over the years. They're RIF'ing and outsourcing at an astounding rate. The ELT make tons of money every year yet the boots on the ground get raises below the rate of inflation. They're showing us who they are. Only give them what they pay for. You'll never be compensated or possibly even thanked for doing more. You won't get promoted and it won't protect you from a RIF. They can get what they paid for and nothing more.