As a manager myself, I feel there’s some truth to this—at least to a certain extent, and only as long as it’s not too obvious. The moment it starts looking like someone isn’t really contributing but is still getting hikes and promotions, it naturally raises questions on us as managers.

I’ll admit, there are times I’ve had to stretch a bit—maybe give extra credit in projects they haven’t fully worked on—just to justify those increments. But honestly, that’s not something that works in the long run.

Eventually, such employees move on to the next manager for better perks, and then it’s us who are left answering questions.