Pay Grade. Someone said to me today “that’s above my pay grade”. It made me think. What’s above your pay grade? Or below it? Is this way of thinking helpful guidance, an all purpose stress management strategy or just a cop out?
It makes sense if it's used in terms of knowledge, like if I said some aspect of quantum field theory or computational biology etc etc is 'above my paygrade.' But otherwise, cop-out.
I think it's usually a cop out. And a way for some people to compartmentalise responsibility. There are few things above my pay grade if it needs sorting and no one steps up.
Helpful.
A deft evasion
Initially it made me think of the worst type of 50's hierarchical corporatism. On second thoughts, it could be a simple "stay in your lane", "you're not capable", "you're not worthy". Pay grade invariance, for me it's either right or wrong. good call bad call.
It could be all of these things and literal in the corporate world. I have actually been told in the past that what I did was above my pay grade and not to do it again. Equally don't do X it's below.
I’ve just seen this post, Chris. I totally share the curiosity on this one. I see evidence of silos, and sense apathy to institutional delegation of blame; or I smell a fear of hierarchy (and a desire to say more) when people say this. Metaphorically, of course — but in summary be on sensory alert to what else is being revealed when this is said.
Copywriting, CRM and soft-code—happy when I do something that matters together with kind, intelligent people
11moA similar phrase that someone I used to know said often: "That's a whole lot of not my problem". It was a pretty fundamental issue to me. I have a hard time seeing how things aren't my problem. Does it affect the people I work with, the company I work for, or the customer/client/end user? Then it's obviously my problem. Could it negatively affect my family, some people somewhere else on the planet, or the climate we need to sustain life as we know it and love it? Clearly my problem. There's one thing consistently and literally doing things above your pay grade. Then you ask for a promotion and a pay rise. But the "I don't get paid enough to care" mentality... Now that's a problem.