This is why you under promise and barely deliver.
If you increase my workload don't give me a raise, I quit. Immediately.
Give 95% and point out that you lack resources.
They'll never give you those resources, but they will get off your ass because subpar work seems to be the goal.
I'm a god damn janitor and this is true even for my profession.
Oh fuck did the US come full circle and go full Stakhanovite? Back under communism in Eastern Europe, you'd do 105% of the target so you'd hit the bonus but not the target readjustment.
Your version looks worse.
Apparently it's the same, they even have the posters of the best employees (employee of the month) and everything.
Friendly reminder that "Employees of the Month" (and "Students of the Month" in schools) are rarely exceptional at their jobs. Rather, they are chosen by management as examples for what they want from their other employees (or students.) Suck-ups and people who quietly obey orders are frequently awarded such titles.
You could be the most supportive coworker, the most productive worker in your field, and have a genuine passion for the work you do - but if management sees (or even senses) any sort of disagreement with you, you'll never find yourself on that poster.
Which is all for the best anyway, since in all the places I've worked, there's rarely an actual prize. If there is, it's usually a cheap gift certificate to some dying chain restaurant.
Ah, good ole performance punishment.
Good work is rewarded with more work.
Exactly why you never give 100%. Never show them everything you got cause they'll only want more
Good to know, I have halved my output to keep up with your expectations.
you jest but this is the reality.
Two years ago I was working 12-16 hours a day. Got burned out.
The stress isn't worth it.
I was constantly passed over for promotions because I was impossible to replace.
now I put out 1/3 of the effort. that means tasks that took me one hour now take me 4 hours, one day is three days.
I get done with my work and watch anime for 2/3 of my job now.
I make $40k less than I should, and I just heard they're taking away some of my yearly accrued vacation time (well everybody is impacted by this, not just me).
The people aren't all bad and the work is paid, so I guess I can pass some bullshit off and catch up on Black Clover.
Some call it "quiet quitting". I call it financial accruity financial optimization or fafo in short.
"Wouldn't make your initial targets an example of your poor judgement?"
I always say never work too hard. Managers don't know how long things take because they don't do any actual work. Set expectations accordingly.
It's a pretty damn sad thing having to do it if you're a fair and honest person, but that's just how the world works.
(There are a few managers out there whom you can be honest towards without them taking away your reward for being efficient of going the extra mile, but in my personal experience those are pretty rare).
I've pretty consistently seen the 1st level of management able to understand when you worked hard, and that it is not repeatable. Those problems tend to appear only when they report up what is happening.
What is to say that often (not always), you can be honest with your manager if both of you can keep a secret.
Well, sorta.
Plenty (maybe even most) of 1st level manages will see and understand, but are still unable or unwilling to push back on unrealistic expectations coming from outside (sometimes not even from above, just from customer) so from the point of view of those working under them the result is the same if they're not doing their own internal time reporting averaging and and are honest towards them.
Further, they often fuck-up things, from planning to analysis and taking in account the dependencies on external providers and it's the team that has to make up for it. Absolutelly, the managers will notice people going the extra mile ... and do the same thing again next time around and it will be just as "unexpected" and "we have not other option" as all the previous times.
I would even go as far as saying that the "understanding" manager that fucks you up anyway (sometimes because they'll always put themselves above those working for them and might even be fake, others because they're not very good at playing the game that needs to be played to other stakeholders) is the most common of all.
Looking back (to almost 30 years of experience in several countries), some of my worst managers were "really nice" people but the team still suffered massivelly because they were not in fact good managers (they suffered alongside the team, for all the good that did to the rest) - essentially the team was holding the career of somebody who should probably be doing something else and at the end of the day, the managers rather than the rest were the ones getting more pay and bigger bonuses.
Plenty (maybe even most) of 1st level manages will see and understand, but are still unable or unwilling to push back on unrealistic expectations coming from outside
My manager directly told me after a "meets expectations" annual review that he had originally put "exceeds expectations" but was overridden by someone above him and told he could not give me that evaluation. I then got a less-than-inflation "raise".
I have adjusted my efforts accordingly.
complete task early, turn in results in the last day. never give them reason to up your workload
Around bonus time log lots of extra hours and turn in two products on the last day.
They are members of the cult of the line, and the line must go up.
Not just members, advocates of the line. Their compensation is a function of the surplus value workers create.
The reward for hard work is more work
Our annual evaluation is a scale of 1 to 4 for a variety of categories. We're supposed to show growth on the scales each year.
For 15 years, I've started each year at 3 and grown to a 4 so the boss can tell their boss that they're helping us grow. I could just start at a 4, but I wouldhave to provide justification for each 4 and that's not a good use of my time. Which I guess I could use to justify getting a 4 on time management.
Yep new boss comes along and has to find some things "wrong" with you so the next review after shows growth under their management which makes them look good. Not great for you because every other place asks for your last 3 reviews so now you have to justify some middle management bullshit in order to go anywhere else. Very fun.
That's why you always give 80% at work - so when shit hits the fan you can do 120%, impressing everyone while keeping a chill level of tasks for day to day stuff
Nah when shit hits the fan you do 81% never show your full potential until you reach the highest pay grade in the company. And the reality is you will never reach that pay grade, you will more likely switch jobs and go back to 80% input and cash bigger checks.
Fresh college grads hate this advice but it's really key to managing a long term career.
Which shows management that they can throw anything at you ..... so they start throwing everything at you.
Then you start saying you can't complete things, ask them which one is the priority. And actually not do everything.
I learned a long time ago to do your job and do it competently ... if you are in good work environment, you'll be rewarded for your efforts ... if you are in a bad environment, you'll be taken advantage of ... if you are in a terrible environment, you'll literally be abused emotionally/financially/physically
If you end up in good environment, then keep doing what you are doing
If you end up in a bad environment, keep doing your job but start looking for an exit strategy and look for other options to eventually leave the current place you are working.
If you are in a terrible environment ... leave immediately even if it means you lose everything (don't worry about it because if you had stayed, you would have lost everything anyway)
If you have chances of reward then yes. But current situation seems to be really bad. They don't really value the workers as much as they used to. And you can't easily leave your current job even when it's bad. Having most of the population in debt (car+home+college) has removed most of the freedom of the workforce from choosing to work somewhere else.
Because in my opinion only when you can chose to not work and stay at home for a few months to look for other jobs, that you have a freedom of choice. Otherwise you have to just jump into whatever job you can find because you can get faster.
I'm middle aged now and I never lived in or near a big city ... always lived in small towns close to wilderness areas where I am most comfortable. I worked mostly as a labourer all my life ... seldom for a company and mostly in all that time for myself mainly. ... and I also have to admit during a time period where work and money was more available and within ones reach. Work was more plentiful and housing was more affordable.
It meant I had freedom of movement and freedom of time ... but it never meant freedom with money. I live within my means and I live very low key and I also don't have children so I only support myself and my wife. So we live in a modest house I bought for little and fix myself and own cars and trucks that are all used.
I can't imagine what it would be like to live in or near a city in this day in age ... I would probably not survive and just end up being one of those guys that know how to build a shelter in a dumpster and find food scraps from warehouses and restaurants.
A good Management knows that they can't demand 150% regularly though since that will wear workers out
Most management systems focus on short term horizons because arbitrary calendar sections allow them to pretend the past work is no longer a factor in the current work.
Good managers are a rarity though.
It is a lesson I hope you only have to learn once.
With year end reviews coming up.... This hits hard
My work has been experimenting with a project for about 2 years now and this has been my life since then
If targets are just nonsensical things then they're pointless and should be ignored. The comic illustrates very poor management.
The Mill (2023)
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