# Valuing Employees

DevFeed: [Valuing Employees](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/valuing-employees-41081.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.craigkerstiens.com/2010/02/27/Valuing-Employees/>)

Author: Map

Published: 2010-02-28T01:10:23Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Craig Kerstiens](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/craig-kerstiens.md>)

Topics: [Job](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/job.md>), [standard](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/standard.md>)

Tags: [business](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/business.md>), [employees](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/employees.md>), [joel-spolsky](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/joel-spolsky.md>)

## AI overview

The article argues that employee compensation should reflect the value people deliver and that retention depends on more than pay. Employees who are no longer challenged should seek new challenges within their role or move elsewhere.

## Source excerpt

A coworker and I were recently having conversations over employee compensation. We covered the gambit around employee feedback, evals, and compensation. He mentioned Joel Spolsky, and his format of being very open about where individuals were ranked. He also pointed me to: http://alumnit.ca/~apenwarr/log/?m=200904#05 which provided good insight, though I most like his final point. The end goal with evaluating your employees and compensation for them is to make sure they're happy. Sure the business should make sure they feel like you're worth what you're being paid, but usually there is no question about this, or if there is you're quickly escorted out the door. While this is an interesting model, I think it can be much simpler, but companies usually confine themselves too much in giving credit to employees. There was another recent occasion where a statement was made of 'no more playing stick them up, until next year'. When I first thought about this, I knew I didn't like the statement, but was unsure of why. The reason is that there can be several reasons why employees leave. Only one of which is compensation. If you feel you're being adequately compensated for the job you're doing it makes sense. But there's another reason thats very clear in the valley but less clear in other parts of the country. Paul Buchheit at Startup School this weekend in Berkeley said it very well: If you've been at your job too long, QUIT. Meaning if you're comfortable, you know the people, you know how to do your job, and you're not being challenged, then you should go somewhere where you are challenged. So what does this have to do in regards to playing stick em up? Well if you're at a comfortable place you should be compensate appropriately that's fair. However if you're at a comfortable place, you should either find ways to be challenged there or move on. If you're challenged there it means your role over time will change, there's not a standard guide for how quickly you become experi