Good results at work should be celebrated, not punished. But some toxic bosses reward efficiency with even more work. There is a pervasive myth in managerial circles that employees need to be constantly busy every single second of the workday or be branded ‘lazy.’ However, the 8 to 5 model doesn’t quite fit how people work, especially when it comes to cognitive tasks. Research shows that your average employee is only productive for 3 hours per day.
Daily Trend Blog reached out to the author of the story, u/68Cadillac, to hear their thoughts about establishing boundaries when it comes to extra work. You’ll find our interview with them below.
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Some hard-working employees are incredibly efficient and get great results. However, their bosses ‘reward’ them only with additional tasks
Even if the team gets excellent results and gets their work done quicker, there are some bosses who hate seeing their employees twiddling their thumbs. In their mind, every single moment in the office should be spent for the benefit of the company or organization.
An internet user shared how they were given tons of busywork simply because they were good at their job and kept their desk tidy
However, there are two issues here. First of all, there’s only a limited amount of energy and focus that your average staff member can put into their work. After a certain point, they’re unproductive and need rest. Especially where creative work is concerned.
Additional work without any tangible benefits is going to end up reducing morale
Even if the team gets excellent results and gets their work done quicker, there are some bosses who hate seeing their employees twiddling their thumbs. In their mind, every single moment in the office should be spent for the benefit of the company or organization.
However, there are two issues here. First of all, there’s only a limited amount of energy and focus that your average staff member can put into their work. After a certain point, they’re unproductive and need rest. Especially where creative work is concerned.
Secondly, you have to consider what the tangible rewards for taking on additional work are. Is it a better salary and better career prospects? Or is it just more work, vague praise, and the promises of a promotion in five years’ time?
Even if you love your job and see purpose in what you’re doing, at a certain point, you have to ask yourself if it’s worth burning out for no reward. Meanwhile, your colleagues might be doing far less for the same salary and enjoying a far healthier work-life balance!
Look, we’re not saying that hard work or extra effort isn’t valuable. It is! But let’s not be naive: not every manager likes over-achievers, and some want to punish them for their success. Meanwhile, you need to prioritize your own welfare.
Your career is going to be a very long marathon, no matter if you plan on climbing the corporate ladder or avoiding it entirely. You want to avoid burnout as much as possible. But that’s hard to do if management is hellbent on getting results and lacks empathy.
Burnout is a massive, widespread problem among working adults
One survey by Deloitte found that 77% of all employees have experienced burnout at their current job. Over half admitted that this has happened more than once.
A ‘Future Forum’ report found that 42% of 10,243 global workers reported burnout in February 2023. Flexibility (or rather a lack of it) has a lot to do with this. The report noted that employees who are dissatisfied with their level of flexibility are 43% more likely to feel burned out.
Fortune reports that 82% of workers are at risk of burnout this year, as many employers don’t design work with their staff’s well-being in mind.
Meanwhile, a Cigna International Health survey from 2023, which looked at 12,000 employees from all around the planet, found that younger workers are more affected by workplace stress. 91% of 18 to 24-year-olds were stressed, compared to the average of 84%.
Learning to stand up for your own interests, and enforcing healthy boundaries, is a must in a corporate environment
The author of the post shared a few thoughts on why some managers might believe that their employees should be busy every single moment of the workday. Though, they added a caveat, that these are just speculations, as they’ve never managed people directly before.
“Maybe it’s as simple as if a worker isn’t working then a manager isn’t managing. The last thing ‘strawboss’ wants is their boss looking at all these workers who don’t appear to be productive and thinking, ‘this manager under-utilizes employees, I need to give them more work,’” u/68Cadillac told Bored Panda.
The author had some practical tips to share with anyone who’s completely new to the job industry and keeps getting extra work to do.
“Join a union. Share pay and salary numbers with other workers. Collective bargain. Never work more than you’re paid to work. Don’t be shamed or guilted into doing extra,” they advised.
“If management expects more work from you than the time allotted, ask why. Why didn’t they hire more workers? Why didn’t they manage better? Why didn’t they reduce the scope? Why didn’t they extend the deadline? Why haven’t they provided you better training?” they listed some potential questions that workers can ask their bosses if they have a penchant for handing out unfair workloads.
Redditor u/68 Cadillac shared another experience that shows their former workplace’s ‘philosophy’ on management. “I once overheard the owner of the company I worked for ‘joking’ with upper management that he should make everyone work extra hours because ‘they spend so much time drinking coffee and going to the bathroom.’” The author once again stressed the importance of unionizing.
