I feel you. In one of my jobs, despite the output being different, I eventually realised that management perceived the guys who bitch the most, as the most hard working. In reality, their bitching was a fascade to allow them slack. Quietly working through tough situations made it seem like all was well, even easy. The loud guys got all the attention, and praise; "wow, after all of that pain, you perservered, here is a nice bonus for you" :facepalm