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This is the meta I'm struggling to learn at the moment. I constantly gripe that people making similar salaries in my organization don't produce nearly as much

This is the meta I'm struggling to learn at the moment. I constantly gripe that people making similar salaries in my organization don't produce nearly as much as I do...but they seem happy and I'm constantly stressed out. Which begs the question...who's winning?

athenot 7y ago
The answer probably lies somewhere halfway between you and them. What you are doing is probably good in terms of staying sharp with your skills. But some detachment can help: I am assuming (correct me if I'm wrong) that you care very much about what's going on at work and that causes stress. But I think it's possible to continue to care while not letting the organization's sluggishness affect you in a personal way. You care because you believe it's the right thing to do and/or because it furthers your skills. Good. The others are missing out; even if their pay is the same now, in 5-10 years you will be better positionned than them for whatever opportunities come. At the same time—and this is where that balance comes in—if you're slaving away with no enjoyment of life, it all seems pointless.
- bluGill 7y ago
  You are missing an important meta. Those who don't produce as much might produce something that is more valuable than you and thus be more valuable than you despite not producing as much quantity. I've seen a lot of people fall into that trap and then get bitter when the "less productive" person was promoted. Of course sometimes the meta is licking your bosses boots not something that makes the company money...
DevKoala 7y ago
What do you mean by “don’t produce nearly as much as I do”? Are you measuring feature completion or business impact? If your managers are happy with your coworkers that “produce less”, then chances are their efforts have the same business impact as yours.
- joncrane 7y ago
  I deliver more results, get assigned more important and complex work, and work more hours. It's a project with a fixed span, and the barrier to entry is very high (government clearance and certain skills) so many people who gain entry exploit the situation because they know we're short on people and won't fire anybody unless they have a negative impact on the business. So the bar is high to get in, but the bar is very low to not be kicked out (have some positive impact). So we'll keep people that only do 1-2 tasks per week because it's better than 0, but don't reward the folks who can do 10 tasks per week.
  - DevKoala 7y ago
    Have you had this conversation with your manager? If the difference is truly objective, you can argue for them. The "meta" you are missing here is salary negotiation.
guntars 7y ago
I think the question is wrong so no answer is going to make sense. Parts of life are indeed a competition, like work, but in those limited domains it’s easy to tell who’s winning - it’s who’s making the most money. Happiness doesn’t even factor in there. If you include your whole life, happiness matters big time, but then it’s not a game or a competition anymore.
Heyso 7y ago
Not you. But this isn't a competition for salary. If you think your work and skills aren't valued correctly, you should look for another job. It is not that important that others have high salary that they (maybe) don't deserve, what is important is that you get the salary you think you deserve (important from your point of vue). Of course, whatever you get in the end also depend on what the business is willing to pay to have you. If you feel stressed, you may be giving too much of yourself. If you are giving more then you like to, to compensate for your teammate, you might need to find teammates that are up to your level, that carr as much as you, an a business that care as much as you too.

athenot 7y ago

The answer probably lies somewhere halfway between you and them. What you are doing is probably good in terms of staying sharp with your skills. But some detachment can help: I am assuming (correct me if I'm wrong) that you care very much about what's going on at work and that causes stress. But I think it's possible to continue to care while not letting the organization's sluggishness affect you in a personal way. You care because you believe it's the right thing to do and/or because it furthers your skills. Good. The others are missing out; even if their pay is the same now, in 5-10 years you will be better positionned than them for whatever opportunities come. At the same time—and this is where that balance comes in—if you're slaving away with no enjoyment of life, it all seems pointless.

bluGill 7y ago
You are missing an important meta. Those who don't produce as much might produce something that is more valuable than you and thus be more valuable than you despite not producing as much quantity. I've seen a lot of people fall into that trap and then get bitter when the "less productive" person was promoted. Of course sometimes the meta is licking your bosses boots not something that makes the company money...

DevKoala 7y ago

What do you mean by “don’t produce nearly as much as I do”? Are you measuring feature completion or business impact? If your managers are happy with your coworkers that “produce less”, then chances are their efforts have the same business impact as yours.

joncrane 7y ago
I deliver more results, get assigned more important and complex work, and work more hours. It's a project with a fixed span, and the barrier to entry is very high (government clearance and certain skills) so many people who gain entry exploit the situation because they know we're short on people and won't fire anybody unless they have a negative impact on the business. So the bar is high to get in, but the bar is very low to not be kicked out (have some positive impact). So we'll keep people that only do 1-2 tasks per week because it's better than 0, but don't reward the folks who can do 10 tasks per week.
- DevKoala 7y ago
  Have you had this conversation with your manager? If the difference is truly objective, you can argue for them. The "meta" you are missing here is salary negotiation.

guntars 7y ago

I think the question is wrong so no answer is going to make sense. Parts of life are indeed a competition, like work, but in those limited domains it’s easy to tell who’s winning - it’s who’s making the most money. Happiness doesn’t even factor in there. If you include your whole life, happiness matters big time, but then it’s not a game or a competition anymore.

Heyso 7y ago

Not you. But this isn't a competition for salary. If you think your work and skills aren't valued correctly, you should look for another job. It is not that important that others have high salary that they (maybe) don't deserve, what is important is that you get the salary you think you deserve (important from your point of vue). Of course, whatever you get in the end also depend on what the business is willing to pay to have you. If you feel stressed, you may be giving too much of yourself. If you are giving more then you like to, to compensate for your teammate, you might need to find teammates that are up to your level, that carr as much as you, an a business that care as much as you too.