[astazangasta]

I really don't give a shit if I'm being paid more than my fellows, hard-working or no. The only thing I care about in my pay level is: am I making enough to support my family in a decent lifestyle? This means I'm comparing against the cost of living, NOT what my coworkers make - I only care about my relative wage insofar as it indicates how most people are getting by.

What I'm more interested in, as a smart person, is that my work is recognized as valuable, given the resources it needs to succeed, encouraged, improved upon, aided.

[xfitm3]

Merit raises are an effect of recognition. The fact everyone got the same raise meant there was no recognition for hard work. It's the wrong job for someone who wants to do better than bare minimum. I'll speculate and suggest that the department is doing good enough and they're not paying attention to performance metrics.

[jdale27]

That may be a great attitude to have, but unfortunately it's not the attitude that most humans have.

[Thriptic]

Your pay level relative to everyone else is the principle way the company acknowledges the value of your work. If I am making the same amount as a total underachiever, it signals that the company either doesn't care about my work or thinks I am also an underachiever.