>>the manager is not politely savvy enough to ensure their team is being recognized for work that grows or is valuable to the business.

Actually in most companies, no ones watching whats happening, no ones watching who performs, who slacks, or anything for that matter.

Companies are basically a kind of a loosely assembled random crowd, where no one cares a thing about anything. In this kind of a set up both hardwork and laziness go unnoticed, which is why a persistent level of mediocrity is all pervasive. People do the bare minimum needed to keep lights on.

Getting rewards, or not getting punished in this kind of set up, largely depends on who you know, how they view you and what they are willing to do for you.