When your coworker does great work, tell their manager

This is the biggest problem with stack ranking software engineers, the practice I had to endure while at a well known software company. All it does is create a zero-sum game, so I have no incentive to compliment anyone else. I needed to make sure that my rank was as high as I could make it, which really sucked during performance time. It was very stressful, even though I was a high performer, because it didn't foster the type of…

>Ask if it’s ok first… This is very astute. Not everyone likes getting praise in public settings or they might not want their micromanaging manager to know they helped you outside the scope of their work. You should be cognizant of when praise should be given (i.e. when is it appropriate) and in what context as mentioned in the article. That said, if you aren’t thanking and praising your colleagues for doing good work - YTA of the team. If…

My current employer uses https://bonus.ly/ and I love it. The money is small (a dollar here and there), but the recognition is public and reports are sent to managers about their teams. People can also comment and add to someone's recognition. This has created a few moments of someone getting over $100 from a tens of coworkers for something helpful.