# We're Not Paying You to Have Fun

- Show: [The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast)
- Published: 2022-09-29
- Length: 47m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2022-09-29-were-not-paying-you-to-have-fun
- Listen: https://agileembeddedpodcast.com/episodes/we-are-not-paying-you-to-have-fun-_JkIpyiO

## Summary

Hosts Jeff Gable and Luca Enjani discuss why employees often feel unfulfilled in their jobs, arguing that enjoyment stems from autonomy, mastery, and purpose rather than just compensation. They analyze how management failures—such as unclear company vision, lack of support for skill growth, and organizational silos that stifle autonomy—create boredom and frustration. The conversation emphasizes that individual contributors must demand clarity on their role's purpose and can drive bottom-up improvements like testing and CI, while leaders must address structural dependencies that prevent teams from working effectively.

## Chapters

- [0:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2022-09-29-were-not-paying-you-to-have-fun#t=1) Introduction: The Myth of Fun at Work
- [2:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2022-09-29-were-not-paying-you-to-have-fun#t=142) Daniel Pink's Drive: Autonomy, Mastery, and Purpose
- [6:40](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2022-09-29-were-not-paying-you-to-have-fun#t=400) Boring Tasks vs. Exploratory Testing
- [18:34](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2022-09-29-were-not-paying-you-to-have-fun#t=1114) Management Problems: Vision and Support
- [23:20](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2022-09-29-were-not-paying-you-to-have-fun#t=1400) Examples of Clear Purpose: Moon Landing and SpaceX
- [28:54](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2022-09-29-were-not-paying-you-to-have-fun#t=1734) Individual Agency and Bottom-Up Improvement
- [36:15](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2022-09-29-were-not-paying-you-to-have-fun#t=2175) Organizational Debt and Lack of Autonomy
- [43:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2022-09-29-were-not-paying-you-to-have-fun#t=2603) Conclusion: Entitlement to Egoism and Feedback Loops

## Topics

- [Leadership, teams & culture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/leadership-and-culture)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)

## Most relevant to

established companies

## Mentioned

- Daniel Pink (other)
- Drive (other)
- Joel Spolsky (other)
- SpaceX (company)
- Elon Musk (other)
- IRS (company)
- Microsoft (company)
- Boeing (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [S4E38 Ahmed Wasfy | Feedback Loops, Systems Over Intentions, & the Power of Predictability](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2023-10-06-s4e38-ahmed-wasfy-feedback-loops-systems-over-intentions-the-power-of-predictabi) (Being an Engineer)
- [S1E38 Staying Motivated, Managing Stress & Understanding The Why | Lynne Shwed](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2020-09-18-s1e38-staying-motivated-managing-stress-understanding-the-why-lynne-shwed) (Being an Engineer)
- [S2E46 How To Build A Workplace People Love |  Rich Sheridan](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/being-an-engineer/2021-10-29-s2e46-how-to-build-a-workplace-people-love-rich-sheridan) (Being an Engineer)
- [Creating a Better World of Work](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-manufacturing-executive/2022-09-06-creating-a-better-world-of-work) (The Manufacturing Executive)
- [BONUS: Q&A with Chuck Swoboda & Chris Luecke | Discussing Innovation as a Mindset](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/manufacturing-happy-hour/2020-03-31-bonus-q-a-with-chuck-swoboda-chris-luecke-discussing-innovation-as-a-mindset) (Manufacturing Happy Hour)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-pragmatic-embedded-podcast/2022-09-29-were-not-paying-you-to-have-fun. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to The Pragmatic Embedded Podcast.