this post was submitted on 22 Apr 2025
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[–] [email protected] 164 points 1 week ago (1 children)

That’s because my pay is calculated poverty.

[–] [email protected] 44 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

sounds like the perfect amount of effort for a shitty paycheck that you still need. just enough to keep the job and stay out of 'trouble', but not so much that more is expected.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 week ago (1 children)

but not so much that more is expected.

This is my problem, I've been plagued with the curse of competence and an inability to keep my mouth shut. This leads me to accidentally volunteer for seemingly easy tasks that 'only require a bit of automation.....' and I lose weeks of time.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

My current task is outside of the bounds of this chart (monthly task that would take days to do manually, down to a handful of hours). What do?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

Automate it and tell NO ONE. Let them think it still takes days.

[–] [email protected] 73 points 1 week ago

Sounds like upper management to me!

[–] [email protected] 53 points 1 week ago

You get what you pay for

[–] [email protected] 44 points 1 week ago

Someone's acting their wage.

[–] [email protected] 39 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

When you do more than necessary, one or more of the following will happen:

  • Your coworkers stop doing their most unpleasant tasks, knowing you'll pick up the slack.
  • Your more ambitious coworkers start sabotaging you, viewing you as a rival to the next higher position.
  • Your less ambitious coworkers start sabotaging you, cause your effort shines a light on how little they get done.
  • Your boss notices unrest in his team and boots you to restore the peace.

Free career advice: Do the average team member's amount of the assigned work.
If you have the time and motivation to do more, use that to improve your efficiency through automation, self-study, researching methods that reduce friction, etc. If you're in a job that lend itself to automation, you will at some point be able to spend most of your time for studying.
Share your new tools with the team to help them.
When you feel limited by your role, apply somewhere else with your new skills.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 week ago

Yep. And if you do automate a lot of tasks, don't tell your boss that it's now set to the "easy button." They will let you go because now they can get a cheaper person.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 1 week ago

I’d frame that. Hard to think of a compliment that tops that to be honest

[–] [email protected] 32 points 1 week ago

I think the term they are looking for is "proportional"

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 week ago (1 children)

"Calculated Mediocrity" perfectly describes my career ambitions.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago

"Just enough to pass to the next level" was my objective throughout my studies. This expression perfectly describes what I should be doing for my current employer...

[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 week ago (4 children)

My tactic is to maintain an average workload of about 70% of my potential, that way I'm relaxed and able to maintain my work on the bad days when I might not be 100% up to the task, plus I have the extra bandwidth for when SHTF so I can look like a hero. Apparently my 70% effort is more than enough because I've now had multiple bosses try to court me to return after I've left roles

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago

"I've now had multiple bosses try to court me to return after I've left roles"

Describing them as courting you is an excellent use of the word

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Sounds like you need to take your competence down a few ticks. Be more relaxed.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 week ago

Nah then I'm bored at work, and I hate being bored at work. 70% is the happy medium between not overextending myself and keeping myself busy and engaged enough to both enjoy my work and impress my superiors

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 week ago

I feel you. I got bored on the weekend, so now as a result, I'm way ahead on work for the week. The good thing is I can compensate by napping and playing games during work hours the rest of the week. And not a guilty thought at all.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

i call it sustainability.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 week ago

My career path has been spectacularly De-railed by a series of company failures.

Now I drive a forklift.

Calculated mediocrity is my middle name!

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 week ago

Think of employees as independent corporations. They provide a service that aligns with their investors needs. Their investors are themselves, their friends, their families. Calculated mediocrity sounds like good business depending on what they’re getting paid.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 week ago

We know we should pay you more, and realize that you know it too.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 week ago
[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 week ago

Do you pay your employees fairly, or funnel all the wealth to the top and investors? Why the fuck would you expect anything other than mediocrity??

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 week ago

What's the over-under that the salary was also "calculated mediocrity..?"

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 week ago

Does your friend work for Lumon or something?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago

Is that another way of saying

Ungrateful Slave...?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

Exactly the same energy!

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago

Hey, that sounds like exactly what I aim for at my work!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

Is their friend my friend or me?