You've hit on the underlying problem of this entire discussion; the way employees are judged. Regardless of what annual review process paperwork says, or what i

You've hit on the underlying problem of this entire discussion; the way employees are judged. Regardless of what annual review process paperwork says, or what ideals we all pay lip service to, the fact remains that many (in the US, at least) businesses do not actually reward employees (salary, promotions, better projects) based on output and productivity. Between political games, friends helping friends, back-scratchings galore, and very different workplace experiences based on who your direct manager is, the system is seemingly FUBAR.