Back Story:
When I got back into the Tech field I did it for the money. I say got back cause at the time I was working in a kitchen in Denver Co. I was tired, working rough hours, and had recently broken things off with my fiancée. I was doing something that made me happy, external emotional bullshit aside I love to cook for people, I loved the friends I was living with I was barely OK.
Like a Faustian deal sneaking up to me from the shadows the offer was cast; $18.50 hour to start, standard benefits package. A chance to get out of Denver and start over again. Such a sweet deal right? Almost double what I was making, like Faust, I got fucked in the end.
That $18.50? Turned into $16.50 and then $16 once I got here, benefits? You guessed it, those were no longer on the table. This kind of shit is one of the reasons I left this industry in the first place. With no money and no other options for work I took the contract thinking shit couldn't get any worse. (I swear any time anyone thinks/says that phrase the Universe just goes 'Hold my Beer')
Back story is over; now for the Title sake: Shitty Management that fails to Reward Good People..
I'm currently coming up on my 3rd year, and tho the Restaurant Industry has a high turnover, this place is fucking worse. Tech jobs usually have a pretty high turnover, but this place has been a fucking joke. That should always be a massive red flag for anyone. If the turnover is above average it’s usually not the employees (common denominator). One of the biggest failures by management is also one of the easiest to perform and that’s recognition. What happens when good people go unrewarded? Well usually they just leave, then your company’s retention goes to shit and costs go up.
I don't know if you know this but Training people is fucking expensive! They’re not bringing anything to the table right away, what if they don't stick around? You might as well be going to a strip club and throwing money at the janitor.
This gets worse when employees are bringing plenty to the table from the start get shorted on the long return. Works great for the company, but costs in the end. I've created and designed projects; start to finish. Only to have them handed off to other employees, who ended up fucking the pooch.
I’m sure some of you at this point are arguing “well maybe he is rewarding good employees and you are not one”. That is true, I could be the worst employee ever with the highest metrics across my entire department, the one who is regularly called in to cover for someone who suddenly quit, so much more. So what are some ways to fix these kind of things? Do you forgo your integrity, and work ethic? Bring yourself down to their level? Do you bring up their massively poor management skills to upper management, painting a target on your back? Simple answer is NO. You leave for something greater.
If you want to read more signs you have a shitty boss or would like to know if you are a shitty boss Business insider has done a nifty report for you;
http://www.businessinsider.com/signs-you-have-a-bad-boss-2016-2-4/#your-boss-never-discusses-your-future-with-you-18
Faust img: https://mystiekeschool.nl/mystiek/goethe-en-zijn-dramatische-verhaal-faust/
Janitor img: http://scrubs.wikia.com/wiki/Janitor
Disappointed img: http://epicpew.com/how-saints-disappointment/
It sucks when you feel like you're underappreciated, and you just want to shake some sense into your supervisor. In an ideal world, you could talk to upper management, but real life isn't like that. And you're absolutely right, compromising your ethics isn't the way to go.
On the plus side, it's kind of freeing knowing that almost ANYTHING ELSE is preferable; you won't have to stay up at night wondering if you're making the right decision when a job offer comes your way.
P.S. If it's any consolation, tech isn't the only field with crappy management...
My co workers have been able to find better paying jobs with better companies. I wont pretend i've been looking cause I haven't, I have had a few offers i needed to turn down but you are correct very much open to not staying here past the end of this year.