“We can’t afford to lose this person.” Managers love status and insight. If that’s not enough, improvement is not a primary goal, and likely it’s time to move on.
We had a people choice award for such work. And then you could use that in your appraisal.
But yeah, I used to do this just for my own interest of learning. Companies can't accept that only one or two persons are doing this. They would say - its a part of the job.
One thing you can do is keep tab of problems and create a common resource point for all the team. And use some kind of way to show hours saved. Long shot but it holds a substantial promise.
Off the top of my head: how about quantifying it like, "If we didn't have this person, we'd waste X person-hours over the course of the year"? That should help you put a number on it.
Yes, but I had to constantly fight for it! I'd have to explain to other leads that, yes, his code velocity isn't that good, but he's also the reason I knew I needed to lend your team support last sprint.
If anyone has tips for how to sell the value in this, please let me know