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Since we've pivoted toward the subject of employee respect, here's a story.
At my last job, there were two writers (me and someone else) and the
documentation manager, who also wrote. The company environment was
tumultuous and our particular department environment equally unstable. When
the other writer left, I received a raise.
I believe the raise came in part because our boss realized that we were
somewhat underpaid for our work and years of experience, but I also believe
it came about because she suspected that I was interviewing elsewhere. In
the conversation about the increase, not once did the issue of performance
come up.
More money is more money, and I didn't turn it down. How much more
meaningful it might have been if the raise came in good times, with an
explicit comment like, "You work hard and you do a good job, and we
recognize that," instead of the implicit comment of, "We're desperate and we
need a body. Don't leave us in the lurch."
Just a story from the trenches.
Karen Field
Senior Technical Writer, Stellcom, Inc.
kfield -at- stellcom -dot- com
