[wiseowise]

> most managers generally push their devs to always be doing larger pieces of work, if they aren't, that's weird.

Now weird at all, and maybe that's "most managers" within your career? I've seen my share of complacent managers who were fine with status quo.

[lo_zamoyski]

I think most managers prefer the status quo; why wouldn't they? Charitably, you can think of it as an assumption on the manager's side that you're fine with the way things are, because you haven't said anything. Similar things can be said about salary.

I don't know why people assume managers are interested in increasing salaries and distributing promotions. Every incentive and preference works against those things. If you want change, you have to ask for it.

[wiseowise]

From my experience it is futile to ask for any meaningful salary changes. Bands are usually fixed. Unless you're severely underpaid, they won't increase your salary by much. There are only two ways to increase your salary: leave for bigger salary, or threaten to leave and stay for bigger salary.

[mikeyspikey]

yeah this is exactly it - 'oh we cannot raise you as we have to be fair to everyone else becuz you are at the higher end of the band, unless we promote you but we wont' - sometimes its equality vs merit, no matter how well you do, its still discretionary unless you are in a place where there is a formula, like sales.

[bluGill]

That depends on the company. Many companies rate their managers on how well they do useful things for their people.

[ryandrake]

I've seen companies that do and companies that don't. I've actually had managers try to dissuade me from growing my scope of work or growing my career. "I don't know why you'd want to be promoted to manager, just stay an IC" was a common phrase to push back against my expressed desire for career growth. Definitely happens. Lots of companies erect career-ceilings over you.