Are the posted questions getting worse?

  • Sean Lange (6/18/2014)


    On the other side, my current boss says that he does not give anyone exceeds expectations no matter what they do throughout the year. Kind of seems counter productive to me. That sort of thing makes one not want to put in the extra effort.

    No real reason from the company to do anything above and beyond. I can do minimal effort and get the same rating as if I were to produce 3x the work. Totally absurd thought process to not give an exceeds.

    Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
    _______________________________________________
    I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
    SQL RNNR
    Posting Performance Based Questions - Gail Shaw[/url]
    Learn Extended Events

  • Lynn Pettis (6/18/2014)


    Grant Fritchey (6/18/2014)


    SQLRNNR (6/18/2014)


    jasona.work (6/18/2014)


    GilaMonster (6/17/2014)


    Gotta love a review system where an above-average rating requires "Leaves only when work is done and stays to assist others"

    "No pressure to work overtime" they say. :ermm:

    Gotta love a review system where your managers attitude was "I never give out above-average / exceeded expectations" at review time...

    And raises were in part (of course) based off review scores...

    ugh - I've had a few of those.

    I've even had mgrs that refused to give out meets expectations. So everybody on the team was always a hair under "meets expectations". That is until there were complaints and so she had to start giving out an occasional "meets".

    One year, there were three of us putting in 90 hr weeks on a project to save the company 50k/month. We succeeded in that project but all three of us were rated below "meets expectations." We were baffled at that point as to what the expectations were.

    After those reviews, of a team of 15, less than half stayed.

    My boss at my previous company gave me a great review my first year. He basically said I walked on water. Then, every year after that, it was "Meets Expectations" because it's kind of hard to top walking on water. He was an evil genius.

    Was that because you actually walked on water or was it because you knew where all the rocks were? 😉

    Utterly sad how common this is and in fact one of the very reasons I prefer consulting rather than perm.

    😎

  • SQLRNNR (6/17/2014)


    GilaMonster (6/17/2014)


    SQLRNNR (6/17/2014)


    The Dixie Flatline (6/17/2014)


    GilaMonster (6/17/2014)


    Gotta love a review system where an above-average rating requires "Leaves only when work is done and stays to assist others"

    "No pressure to work overtime" they say. :ermm:

    So, basically an above-average rating requires you to do the work of other less-competent people for them.

    Who get an average rating rather than the "needs improvement" rating.

    Nah, it's not that bad. It's late and I'm griping. Most of the guys are 'above average' as devs.

    Should we take that one further down the rabbit hole? 😀

    So, what do you think of the fact that he also pointed us to what I believe to be one of "those" sites that provides illegal copies of copyrighted work?

    --Jeff Moden


    RBAR is pronounced "ree-bar" and is a "Modenism" for Row-By-Agonizing-Row.
    First step towards the paradigm shift of writing Set Based code:
    ________Stop thinking about what you want to do to a ROW... think, instead, of what you want to do to a COLUMN.

    Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.


    Helpful Links:
    How to post code problems
    How to Post Performance Problems
    Create a Tally Function (fnTally)

  • SQLRNNR (6/18/2014)


    Sean Lange (6/18/2014)


    On the other side, my current boss says that he does not give anyone exceeds expectations no matter what they do throughout the year. Kind of seems counter productive to me. That sort of thing makes one not want to put in the extra effort.

    No real reason from the company to do anything above and beyond. I can do minimal effort and get the same rating as if I were to produce 3x the work. Totally absurd thought process to not give an exceeds.

    Yes indeed. And they have been paying the price for this for a long time. Lots of mediocre software around here...well actually mediocre might be being a bit generous. Craptastic is closer to the truth. 😉

    _______________________________________________________________

    Need help? Help us help you.

    Read the article at http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Best+Practices/61537/ for best practices on asking questions.

    Need to split a string? Try Jeff Modens splitter http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Tally+Table/72993/.

    Cross Tabs and Pivots, Part 1 – Converting Rows to Columns - http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/T-SQL/63681/
    Cross Tabs and Pivots, Part 2 - Dynamic Cross Tabs - http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Crosstab/65048/
    Understanding and Using APPLY (Part 1) - http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/APPLY/69953/
    Understanding and Using APPLY (Part 2) - http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/APPLY/69954/

  • Jeff Moden (6/18/2014)


    SQLRNNR (6/17/2014)


    GilaMonster (6/17/2014)


    SQLRNNR (6/17/2014)


    The Dixie Flatline (6/17/2014)


    GilaMonster (6/17/2014)


    Gotta love a review system where an above-average rating requires "Leaves only when work is done and stays to assist others"

    "No pressure to work overtime" they say. :ermm:

    So, basically an above-average rating requires you to do the work of other less-competent people for them.

    Who get an average rating rather than the "needs improvement" rating.

    Nah, it's not that bad. It's late and I'm griping. Most of the guys are 'above average' as devs.

    Should we take that one further down the rabbit hole? 😀

    So, what do you think of the fact that he also pointed us to what I believe to be one of "those" sites that provides illegal copies of copyrighted work?

    I missed that link. Which site?

    Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
    _______________________________________________
    I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
    SQL RNNR
    Posting Performance Based Questions - Gail Shaw[/url]
    Learn Extended Events

  • Sean Lange (6/18/2014)


    Grant Fritchey (6/18/2014)


    SQLRNNR (6/18/2014)


    jasona.work (6/18/2014)


    GilaMonster (6/17/2014)


    Gotta love a review system where an above-average rating requires "Leaves only when work is done and stays to assist others"

    "No pressure to work overtime" they say. :ermm:

    Gotta love a review system where your managers attitude was "I never give out above-average / exceeded expectations" at review time...

    And raises were in part (of course) based off review scores...

    ugh - I've had a few of those.

    I've even had mgrs that refused to give out meets expectations. So everybody on the team was always a hair under "meets expectations". That is until there were complaints and so she had to start giving out an occasional "meets".

    One year, there were three of us putting in 90 hr weeks on a project to save the company 50k/month. We succeeded in that project but all three of us were rated below "meets expectations." We were baffled at that point as to what the expectations were.

    After those reviews, of a team of 15, less than half stayed.

    My boss at my previous company gave me a great review my first year. He basically said I walked on water. Then, every year after that, it was "Meets Expectations" because it's kind of hard to top walking on water. He was an evil genius.

    This sounds somewhat like my wife's company. They only allow a certain (very small) percentage of people to exceed expectations. And their rule is that if you receive an exceeds one year and perform exactly the same next year that in the second year you would only receive a meets expectations. This is because in the first year you set the bar and maintaining that level is now what is expected. Such a bunch of political BS if you ask me.

    On the other side, my current boss says that he does not give anyone exceeds expectations no matter what they do throughout the year. Kind of seems counter productive to me. That sort of thing makes one not want to put in the extra effort.

    I worked for a company like that once (as a contractor, so it didn't apply to me), but their DBA worked hard and well, put in whatever overtime was needed to keep things running and always was available to make sure people's database needs were met. At the end of the year his boss gave him a review of all 3s (out of 5). When he asked why, what he'd done wrong, his boss said "I'm not allowed to give out anything higher than a 3" and all raises were predicated on 4 or 5. The DBA simply stopped trying. No overtime, no extra effort, no research and started looking for a new job. I don't understand how so many companies don't realize they're essentially asking for this reaction when they have that kind of policy.

    --------------------------------------
    When you encounter a problem, if the solution isn't readily evident go back to the start and check your assumptions.
    --------------------------------------
    It’s unpleasantly like being drunk.
    What’s so unpleasant about being drunk?
    You ask a glass of water. -- Douglas Adams

  • Stefan Krzywicki (6/18/2014)


    Sean Lange (6/18/2014)


    Grant Fritchey (6/18/2014)


    SQLRNNR (6/18/2014)


    jasona.work (6/18/2014)


    GilaMonster (6/17/2014)


    Gotta love a review system where an above-average rating requires "Leaves only when work is done and stays to assist others"

    "No pressure to work overtime" they say. :ermm:

    Gotta love a review system where your managers attitude was "I never give out above-average / exceeded expectations" at review time...

    And raises were in part (of course) based off review scores...

    ugh - I've had a few of those.

    I've even had mgrs that refused to give out meets expectations. So everybody on the team was always a hair under "meets expectations". That is until there were complaints and so she had to start giving out an occasional "meets".

    One year, there were three of us putting in 90 hr weeks on a project to save the company 50k/month. We succeeded in that project but all three of us were rated below "meets expectations." We were baffled at that point as to what the expectations were.

    After those reviews, of a team of 15, less than half stayed.

    My boss at my previous company gave me a great review my first year. He basically said I walked on water. Then, every year after that, it was "Meets Expectations" because it's kind of hard to top walking on water. He was an evil genius.

    This sounds somewhat like my wife's company. They only allow a certain (very small) percentage of people to exceed expectations. And their rule is that if you receive an exceeds one year and perform exactly the same next year that in the second year you would only receive a meets expectations. This is because in the first year you set the bar and maintaining that level is now what is expected. Such a bunch of political BS if you ask me.

    On the other side, my current boss says that he does not give anyone exceeds expectations no matter what they do throughout the year. Kind of seems counter productive to me. That sort of thing makes one not want to put in the extra effort.

    I worked for a company like that once (as a contractor, so it didn't apply to me), but their DBA worked hard and well, put in whatever overtime was needed to keep things running and always was available to make sure people's database needs were met. At the end of the year his boss gave him a review of all 3s (out of 5). When he asked why, what he'd done wrong, his boss said "I'm not allowed to give out anything higher than a 3" and all raises were predicated on 4 or 5. The DBA simply stopped trying. No overtime, no extra effort, no research and started looking for a new job. I don't understand how so many companies don't realize they're essentially asking for this reaction when they have that kind of policy.

    Yeah it has had the same affect around here to an extent. I have no interest in leaving however. In over 5 years I have never been asked to work overtime and maybe once in that time have I needed to come in on the weekend. We have a very relaxed atmosphere. Quitting time is 4:30 and I am 10 minutes from my house. Allows me a lot flexibility for volunteer work which is immensely rewarding. I coach youth soccer and basketball in addition to being the Cubmaster for my son's cub scout pack. A more typical work environment would make those things difficult if not impossible.

    _______________________________________________________________

    Need help? Help us help you.

    Read the article at http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Best+Practices/61537/ for best practices on asking questions.

    Need to split a string? Try Jeff Modens splitter http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Tally+Table/72993/.

    Cross Tabs and Pivots, Part 1 – Converting Rows to Columns - http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/T-SQL/63681/
    Cross Tabs and Pivots, Part 2 - Dynamic Cross Tabs - http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Crosstab/65048/
    Understanding and Using APPLY (Part 1) - http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/APPLY/69953/
    Understanding and Using APPLY (Part 2) - http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/APPLY/69954/

  • Good grief. Maybe they should just disallow any new accounts for the remainder of the world cup. So much spam.

    _______________________________________________________________

    Need help? Help us help you.

    Read the article at http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Best+Practices/61537/ for best practices on asking questions.

    Need to split a string? Try Jeff Modens splitter http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Tally+Table/72993/.

    Cross Tabs and Pivots, Part 1 – Converting Rows to Columns - http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/T-SQL/63681/
    Cross Tabs and Pivots, Part 2 - Dynamic Cross Tabs - http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Crosstab/65048/
    Understanding and Using APPLY (Part 1) - http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/APPLY/69953/
    Understanding and Using APPLY (Part 2) - http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/APPLY/69954/

  • Sean Lange (6/18/2014)


    Good grief. Maybe they should just disallow any new accounts for the remainder of the world cup. So much spam.

    I know what you mean. I've been marking some over the past few days too, but I can't keep up.

  • Ed Wagner (6/18/2014)


    Sean Lange (6/18/2014)


    Good grief. Maybe they should just disallow any new accounts for the remainder of the world cup. So much spam.

    I know what you mean. I've been marking some over the past few days too, but I can't keep up.

    If not that, then it is the 3 or 4 posts for the same question.

    Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
    _______________________________________________
    I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
    SQL RNNR
    Posting Performance Based Questions - Gail Shaw[/url]
    Learn Extended Events

  • SQLRNNR (6/18/2014)


    Ed Wagner (6/18/2014)


    Sean Lange (6/18/2014)


    Good grief. Maybe they should just disallow any new accounts for the remainder of the world cup. So much spam.

    I know what you mean. I've been marking some over the past few days too, but I can't keep up.

    If not that, then it is the 3 or 4 posts for the same question.

    I did a run through the recent list and reported the ones on page 1. They're even replying to their own posts! I like your idea of no new accounts until the world cup is over. Then all that would be left is to identify the accounts being used for spam and disable them.

  • Ed Wagner (6/18/2014)


    SQLRNNR (6/18/2014)


    Ed Wagner (6/18/2014)


    Sean Lange (6/18/2014)


    Good grief. Maybe they should just disallow any new accounts for the remainder of the world cup. So much spam.

    I know what you mean. I've been marking some over the past few days too, but I can't keep up.

    If not that, then it is the 3 or 4 posts for the same question.

    I did a run through the recent list and reported the ones on page 1. They're even replying to their own posts! I like your idea of no new accounts until the world cup is over. Then all that would be left is to identify the accounts being used for spam and disable them.

    I've pointed it out to the bosses. That's about all I have the ability to do. They don't trust me with the keys to the kingdom (and I don't blame them).

    "The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood"
    - Theodore Roosevelt

    Author of:
    SQL Server Execution Plans
    SQL Server Query Performance Tuning

  • Grant Fritchey (6/18/2014)


    Ed Wagner (6/18/2014)


    SQLRNNR (6/18/2014)


    Ed Wagner (6/18/2014)


    Sean Lange (6/18/2014)


    Good grief. Maybe they should just disallow any new accounts for the remainder of the world cup. So much spam.

    I know what you mean. I've been marking some over the past few days too, but I can't keep up.

    If not that, then it is the 3 or 4 posts for the same question.

    I did a run through the recent list and reported the ones on page 1. They're even replying to their own posts! I like your idea of no new accounts until the world cup is over. Then all that would be left is to identify the accounts being used for spam and disable them.

    I've pointed it out to the bosses. That's about all I have the ability to do. They don't trust me with the keys to the kingdom (and I don't blame them).

    Hey, at least that's something, which is more than I can do about it. So thank you. 🙂

  • Ed Wagner (6/18/2014)


    Grant Fritchey (6/18/2014)


    Ed Wagner (6/18/2014)


    SQLRNNR (6/18/2014)


    Ed Wagner (6/18/2014)


    Sean Lange (6/18/2014)


    Good grief. Maybe they should just disallow any new accounts for the remainder of the world cup. So much spam.

    I know what you mean. I've been marking some over the past few days too, but I can't keep up.

    If not that, then it is the 3 or 4 posts for the same question.

    I did a run through the recent list and reported the ones on page 1. They're even replying to their own posts! I like your idea of no new accounts until the world cup is over. Then all that would be left is to identify the accounts being used for spam and disable them.

    I've pointed it out to the bosses. That's about all I have the ability to do. They don't trust me with the keys to the kingdom (and I don't blame them).

    Hey, at least that's something, which is more than I can do about it. So thank you. 🙂

    You know, given the normal traffic plus all the large posts from the spammers, I'd say the site is performing pretty well from an end user's perspective.

  • /RANT ON

    Argh!!! Why do some people around here consider me to be their own private consultant. They send me a PM with a vague description of something and ask me to help them figure it out. I don't want to ignore them but I am certainly not going to help them when they use that method. Sad that the latest one has over 500 points and still can't seem to get it that they need to post details. I left my crystal ball in my other pants.

    /RANT OFF

    _______________________________________________________________

    Need help? Help us help you.

    Read the article at http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Best+Practices/61537/ for best practices on asking questions.

    Need to split a string? Try Jeff Modens splitter http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Tally+Table/72993/.

    Cross Tabs and Pivots, Part 1 – Converting Rows to Columns - http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/T-SQL/63681/
    Cross Tabs and Pivots, Part 2 - Dynamic Cross Tabs - http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/Crosstab/65048/
    Understanding and Using APPLY (Part 1) - http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/APPLY/69953/
    Understanding and Using APPLY (Part 2) - http://www.sqlservercentral.com/articles/APPLY/69954/

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