"He got it up and running quickly, too. He's a hero around here; talk about job security."
He'll have job security because he sounds like the type of guy who looks for ways to make improvements wherever he's at, which is a trait that a large part of the workforce seems to be missing. I'd hire this guy (and guys like him) and find a place for him in my company (if I had a company) because they look for ways to make things better, faster, cheaper, without it being in their job description.
My real point wasn't necessarily that he'll have job security at the library, which of course he will, but that this type of self motivated, driven, and creative person should have little trouble finding work with any company that is able to recognize the worth of those traits.
People generally have little trouble finding a job at any company that values traits that they possess.
While I understand your point there are plenty of places that have more of a "don't rock the boat" mentality. Some of that is dependent on how close or visible your position is to people invested in the company (monetarily or otherwise) vs those who are just trying to make it to the weekend.
If only the average administrator were so forward thinking. Too often they can think no further than the next quarter. Still, there are always consulting fees for him to look forward to.
You said it. I've found it to actually be worse than this. At bigco, his review for that quarter would have read, "trouble with authority, lacks patience, should learn to follow proper channels." That is, of course, if building the thing didn't get him outright fired.
The spirit of volunteerism and innovation that you admire is impractical when managers define the employee's primary responsibilities in a way that requires unpaid overtime every week.
You're absolutely right, I've even heard of people receiving negative performance reviews because they spent a little unauthorized time at work creating something that improved the productivity of the entire staff by a measurable dollar amount. There will always be companies that shoot themselves in the foot.
He'll have job security because he sounds like the type of guy who looks for ways to make improvements wherever he's at, which is a trait that a large part of the workforce seems to be missing. I'd hire this guy (and guys like him) and find a place for him in my company (if I had a company) because they look for ways to make things better, faster, cheaper, without it being in their job description.