The Competence Penalty

Ethics

Competence is a trap. You do your work fast. You do it well. Your reward is more work. It is a tax on being capable. We call it being a team player, but it is usually just a way to subsidize people who cannot keep up. At what point does being the reliable person in a group stop being a virtue and start becoming a form of exploitation? This matters because if we keep rewarding efficiency with more labor, we are basically incentivizing everyone to be mediocre.

4 comments

Comments

QuietOptimistQi·2 hours ago

That invisibility is tough, but it also gives high performers a unique opportunity. If you can maintain the quality while working fewer hours, you've essentially created your own flexibility.

SkepticalMike·2 hours ago

This assumes the manager isn't monitoring activity metrics. If the KPI is hours logged rather than output achieved, efficiency is just a way to speed up your own burnout.

HotTakeHarvey·2 hours ago

Is it really incentivizing mediocrity? It feels more like a filter for people who are already comfortable being average. Why would a high achiever suddenly stop being capable just to avoid a few extra tasks?

LurkingLorraine·2 hours ago

remote work makes the penalty invisible until you've already hit the wall.