And so therefore you find another job and stop whining.
Not at my current job, but at many former ones. For instance, the last one. I showed up on time every day, didn’t goof off, didn’t take any time off, did the maximum of work, reorganized the department to be more efficient. What did I get? Slack-jawed morons who were there for a shorter time than me, getting promoted to supervisor or department manager. Meanwhile, they wouldn’t promote me or even let me transfer departments to learn something else. Eventually, I quit.
I’ve been in one place where I did THREE PEOPLE’S JOBS. My job, and the jobs of two co-workers who left and weren’t ever replaced.
Did I ever get paid for doing three jobs? Hell, no. Did I get promotions or raises for doing extra work? Hell, no. Did I get shit for not getting everything done? Oh yeah.
Were they taking advantage of me? Absolutely.
I’ve been treated similarly at every employer I’ve worked for. I’ve almost always improved the work flow, gotten more done, taken on extra work, filled in for unreplaced staff, etc., etc., etc.
I’ve rarely gotten credit and never gotten paid for going the extra mile. Other employees have sat on their asses (or blown a bunch of smoke up others’) and been given promotions and/or raises.
I’m happy for those of you who work in wonderlands where managers recognize and reward extra effort. But for most people I know, working hard to do a good job just means getting screwed over.
Attention employers and managers: there’s a reason that your employees have a shitty attitude and can’t be bothered. It’s because you reward poor behavior and fuck over your “go-to” people.
P.S. Let me guess…Leaffan is a manager somewhere getting paid much more than the people who actually accomplish something, and who gets huffy because his people have pissy attitudes that he creates by fucking them over.
But…why? I generally like my job, and the coworkers. Sometimes there is stupid shit. I would like to protest this stupid shit so I can continue working here to the best of my ability and enjoying it.
Quitting isn’t always the perfect option.
Or, you don’t whine to your boss and tell him what you think is going on. Which he then confirms.
It is not whining when I state the obvious fact that I am being taken advantage of. My boss can fire me if he wishes-- which he won’t because, don’t forget, I’m a go-to guy.
I will also agitate for the re-training of those claims administrators who cannot do their own reports properly.
So now I see that this type of thing is widespread. Doesn’t make it any more easier to take.
Well, obviously the idea that people should be rewarded for doing a good job and punished for doing a bad one is going to seem strange to someone called Leaffan 
Agreed, but it’s not like you’re being held captive there. You are in fact being paid! As I tell my kids when they say “no fair!” Yeah, life isn’t fair. There are, and always have been inequities in life. I don’t know. All I know is that I don’t perform like Superman because I too learned a long time ago that the raises between superheros and schleps might be 1% a year. Therefore I do what’s expected, take on extra work to help out as required, but try to balance home life with work life. Like I said, if the balance becomes unbearable either you resolve it or leave. No sense worrying about what other coworkers do or don’t do. Look out for number one. You have options and they are paying you. They are your employer. Get over it.
Happens everyday where I work. I too work very fast and make very little error. I currently do the work of 5 people. I have my own duties and then duties dumped on me that should be hanlded by our department’s business analyst, my manager, & my director. I’ve also been farmed out to work on a project in a different department because the person they had quit after royally screwing up the project. I feel like I’m being pulled in so many directions. Whenever I say something to my manager about it I get the same bullshit pre-canned response you mentioned in your post. It’s easy for them to say you’re not really being punished, you’re skill gives your the privledge to do more tasks and get more exposure. But in reality you put up with that crap for a period of time and then your manager moves on and the next person in line doesn’t know jack about all of your contributions outside your job duty. Sorry for the long rant, this is a sore subject for me right now as I very much feel like I’m in the same boat as you!
My job most definitely punishes for a job well done; or more exactly, rewards a job badly done.
I’m a consultant, and my compensation is partially based on the number of client billable hours I work.
So… if I come up with a rippingly fast and accurate way of doing something, I’ll end up billing our clients less hours than the unimaginative guy who does something the long way, and has to check it to death.
Guess who looks better on the old billable hours tally at the end of the year?
How exactly do you reconcile “resolve it” with “leave”, Leaffan. My boss is my employer. He is not my God. He is not my commanding officer. I will not “get over it”. I will fix it. I will demand to be treated fairly. My boss can either “resolve it” or fire me. No need for me to quit.
And, like I said, he isn’t about to fire me. That IS one good thing about being the go-to guy.
It really is that much easier to give all the work to the good people. It really is. Because the slow/dumb/lazy people are the way they are and it seems like no amount of training/direction/support/motivation/reprimands/threats will make a significant difference in their long-term performance.
That doesn’t mean they should be allowed to skate. In my situation, I give my superstars more money, more responsibility, and as many hours a week as they want. They tell me what shifts they want and they get them, while the slow folks get the leftovers. If you’re not being compensated for doing your job and everybody else’s, I say it’s your manager who’s taking advantage of you. Your co-workers are taking advantage of the company.
Will you be my boss?
I’m not even sure what you’re asking here? Resolve it, i.e. work out a solution or compromise, or find another job. Is that a difficult concept? Your boss isn’t your commanding officer? Huh? Naturally I do work for lots of other people, but of course my boss most certainly is my commanding officer. If he wants me to drop something and work on something else it’s his call. And again, I’m not doing this for free. They’re compensating me so they get the last call, not me. 
How funny. I have the exact opposite problem. Where I work they will not give me any work to do that is challenging or complicated at all. I am a liscensed insurance agent in 4 states and I have a bachelor’s degree. I am really intelligent, I learn fast and I love to keep busy and stay challenged at work. I practically beg for more to do and yet I am given almost nothing.
It has even been commented on by people in the office that it is weird that I am obviously so fast and would be very good at anything they gave me to do, yet I am given basic filing and scanning work and almost nothing else.
I am so bored here and it is obvious that they don’t trust me with anything of real consequence that it is taking a toll on my attitude. It has gotten to the point where I don’t ask for more work any longer, I finish what they give me and spend the rest of my time posting on the dope. I no longer really care if I am dressed too casually for the office and I don’t really see any reason to eat lunch with or hang out with my coworkers. I know this isn’t going to make the problem better but at this point it has been made clear to me to look elsewhere for fulfilling work so after I have worked here long enough I will start the search. If they would have just trusted me it never would have become an issue.
I was this guy for all of last year at my company. I took on things I should not have had to do, and did them with minimal complaint.
I got a 21.6% raise.
Oh yeah? I do the work of 12 people, and I have the IQ of a genius, as do virtually all Dopers.
But seriously, if the OP is doing excellent work and carrying more than her fair share, then there’s every reason to hold the boss over barrel for more pay, vacation days, flex time, whatever. I tend to think the work one is supposed to do is the work that one’s boss gives them, so if responsibilities expand, so should compensation. I don’t quite understand why the idea of asking for a raise was dismissed out of hand.
I can laugh now, but I use to have a job where I did 3 peoples jobs, put in long hours and sweated out every detail. I developed ulcers, spent a year asking for help. Straight out told them I could do 2 jobs but I could not handle doing 3. Told them I was looking for another job. Found a job and handed in my resignation.
They acted surprised. They replaced my one position with 2½ positions. The Controller still complains, 8 years later he gets less support now then when I was there.
I now do about 1½ persons jobs and I do it in regular work hours and for a lot more money. I am much happier now.
Jim
Yes, I have heard that from my boss. And yes, it’s true at my place of work that the reward for doing work well, is to get more important and/or harder work assigned to you.
But I disagree strongly that this is “punishment” or that “the slow and dumb get to skate”. The capable and ambitious get rewarded with handsome bonuses and promotions that put them in line for even more handsome bonuses. The shirkers, slackers and clock-punchers get fired.
I worked for a company that did this. Have an idea? Ok, you go implement it on your own with no money and no support, and in your spare time. Competent? Do everyone’s else work. Good at managing time? If you’re not sweating buckets over meeting deadlines, help someone else with their load. It sucked and pretty much caused anyone with talent to flee sooner or later.
I got a new job and they actually give increases based on merit. Woot!
Then you may count yourself as one very lucky man.