Work Hard, Get Punished... Make It Make Sense
Congrats, you're competent! Here's more work.So, one of my TikToks kinda blew up last week. I talked about how high performers tend to get rewarded with more work. Not more money. Not more recognition. Not more support. Just more tasks. More pressure. More expectations. If your best employees are carrying the team, they’re also carrying resentment, and that’s a ticking clock.#Burnout #Leadership #BurnoutRecovery #HumanResources #ToxicLeadership And the comments? Whew! Folks felt that. So many people shared that they used to go above and beyond, but after years of being punished for their productivity, they've scaled way back. Now they're coasting. Doing the bare minimum. Protecting themselves, the only way they know how. And honestly? I don't blame them. If this sounds all too familiar to you and you're stuck in that gray area where you don't want to (or can't) quit, but you also cannot keep going like this, here's where I'd start: Start documenting what's on your plate.Make a list of everything you do at work... big things, small things, and the stuff that got added without anyone really saying so. This could be:
Seeing it all in one place helps you realize: No wonder I'm overwhelmed. It also gives you something solid to bring to a future conversation. Schedule a role review.Set up time with your manager or team lead and frame it around clarity, not complaints. Think of this as a reset, not a confrontation. Here's some language you can borrow: I've noticed my responsibilities have expanded quite a bit over time, and I'd love to check in on what's expected of me versus what's sustainable. I want to make sure I'm focusing on the right things and delivering at a high level without compromising my work quality or well-being. It's a simple way to talk about your workload and make sure what you're doing still makes sense for your role. Protect your future energy.When you're known as the reliable one, it's tempting to keep saying yes. You want to be helpful. You want to be a team player. And you probably can fit in just one more thing (because you're awesome like that). But, over time, those quick yeses start to add up. And what feels manageable in the moment often becomes the thing that pushes you over the edge a week later. Before you say yes to one more thing, take a pause. Ask yourself:
If you've hit the point where your default is "do less, care less, say less," I get it. But I also want you to know that you're allowed to design something better. I'm not saying slack off. I'm saying don't let your competence become a curse. You can be excellent and have boundaries. You can be a team player and not get played. Let me know if this resonates or if you want help navigating this. Catch you later, Tara |
