5 ms·

Companies in general are crappy at recognizing top contributors anyway. Tech companies are no exception.

StevePerkins 8y ago
Contributors in general are pretty crappy at recognizing top contributors. How many people in this thread honestly DON'T see themselves as a "top" contributor? Tech is like Lake Woebegone... all the kids are above average.
- atwebb 8y ago
  Please stop contributing to my impostor syndrome. You're absolutely right though, it can be very difficult to have enough self knowledge and awareness to even place one's self sometimes.
- goldcd 8y ago
  raises hand I see my job to be a human-shield whose sole purpose is to try to ensure something worthwhile gets done by the collective. No shortage of smart-people. Tricky bit is keeping them pointing vaguely in the right direction and ensuring nobody upsets/interrupts them. I'll fight my/their corner, but accept I may be wrong/out-of-my-depth if you can tell me why. Until then, I just soak up the grief. Biggest turn-off - people who think personal excellence in one area is infinitely transferable.
- ummonk 8y ago
  I wouldn't consider myself a top performer. Though I'd expect I'd become one at a place that had a union ensuring low performers got accumulated at the company.
WillPostForFood 8y ago
This is a problem everywhere, but it is worse when you are stuck with unionized employees. Compare public school teachers to private school teachers. Higher pay (thanks to unions) for public schools, and lower quality (thanks to unions).
- munk-a 8y ago
  I'm up in Canada where the teaching unions are actually pretty strong and the teachers are well compensated, but in the US teacher salaries are legendarily poor given the expectations placed on them and the importance of their job. In fact, due to the extremely low salaries in either private or public schools many people who would consider teaching end up in different fields... _that_ is what is driving down the quality.
- max76 8y ago
  > (thanks to unions) Is there additional information about how unions lower the quality of public education inside the United States?
  - chris11 8y ago
    I'm interested in that also. I don't really see how you can compare public and private education without looking at class and the ability for the private school to select students. At the very least private school students have parents who can and will spend a significant amount of money on their kids education.
  - ericd 8y ago
    Look up rubber rooming in NY schools. Basically, they can't fire teachers with tenure (which they get relatively quickly compared to eg college professor tenure) for even gross misconduct, so they end up paying them to sit in a room doing nothing. If there isn't enough budget, they have to lay off newer teachers, even if they're doing well.
    - flukus 8y ago
      I looked it up: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reassignment_centers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reassignment_centers > Although teachers are now being charged more quickly, it still takes several years to complete the hearing process and for the arbitrator to render a decision. So they get stood down until they've had a misconduct hearing, that seems fair, we don't want to ruin careers on allegations alone. > In June 2012 it was revealed that the New York State Education Department had not paid its arbitrators for several years, and collectively owed them millions of dollars for cases they had completed, or were in the process of hearing. In frustration, ten of the 24 arbitrators on the New York City panel have quit, while the remaining 14 refuse to hear any testimony or issue any decisions until their back wages have been paid in full. This is a massive administrative failure, I don't know why your blaming unions.
naravara 8y ago
And on the rare occasions they do recognize an above-average contributor, they're likley to overburden them with all the stressful and difficult work until they burn out.

Contributors in general are pretty crappy at recognizing top contributors. How many people in this thread honestly DON'T see themselves as a "top" contributor? Tech is like Lake Woebegone... all the kids are above average.

atwebb 8y ago
Please stop contributing to my impostor syndrome. You're absolutely right though, it can be very difficult to have enough self knowledge and awareness to even place one's self sometimes.
goldcd 8y ago
raises hand I see my job to be a human-shield whose sole purpose is to try to ensure something worthwhile gets done by the collective. No shortage of smart-people. Tricky bit is keeping them pointing vaguely in the right direction and ensuring nobody upsets/interrupts them. I'll fight my/their corner, but accept I may be wrong/out-of-my-depth if you can tell me why. Until then, I just soak up the grief. Biggest turn-off - people who think personal excellence in one area is infinitely transferable.
ummonk 8y ago
I wouldn't consider myself a top performer. Though I'd expect I'd become one at a place that had a union ensuring low performers got accumulated at the company.

WillPostForFood 8y ago

This is a problem everywhere, but it is worse when you are stuck with unionized employees. Compare public school teachers to private school teachers. Higher pay (thanks to unions) for public schools, and lower quality (thanks to unions).

munk-a 8y ago
I'm up in Canada where the teaching unions are actually pretty strong and the teachers are well compensated, but in the US teacher salaries are legendarily poor given the expectations placed on them and the importance of their job. In fact, due to the extremely low salaries in either private or public schools many people who would consider teaching end up in different fields... _that_ is what is driving down the quality.
max76 8y ago
> (thanks to unions) Is there additional information about how unions lower the quality of public education inside the United States?
- chris11 8y ago
  I'm interested in that also. I don't really see how you can compare public and private education without looking at class and the ability for the private school to select students. At the very least private school students have parents who can and will spend a significant amount of money on their kids education.
- ericd 8y ago
  Look up rubber rooming in NY schools. Basically, they can't fire teachers with tenure (which they get relatively quickly compared to eg college professor tenure) for even gross misconduct, so they end up paying them to sit in a room doing nothing. If there isn't enough budget, they have to lay off newer teachers, even if they're doing well.
  - flukus 8y ago
    I looked it up: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reassignment_centers https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reassignment_centers > Although teachers are now being charged more quickly, it still takes several years to complete the hearing process and for the arbitrator to render a decision. So they get stood down until they've had a misconduct hearing, that seems fair, we don't want to ruin careers on allegations alone. > In June 2012 it was revealed that the New York State Education Department had not paid its arbitrators for several years, and collectively owed them millions of dollars for cases they had completed, or were in the process of hearing. In frustration, ten of the 24 arbitrators on the New York City panel have quit, while the remaining 14 refuse to hear any testimony or issue any decisions until their back wages have been paid in full. This is a massive administrative failure, I don't know why your blaming unions.

naravara 8y ago

And on the rare occasions they do recognize an above-average contributor, they're likley to overburden them with all the stressful and difficult work until they burn out.