HR Executive Reveals Unexpected Trick To Get Assigned Less Work
Yes you should be working, just not to the point of burnout.
Kampus Production | Pexels Do you ever feel like you're being assigned more work than you can handle, but you get it all done quickly anyway? Well, that might be the reason why you keep getting assigned more work in the first place, at least according to HR executive Johana Saimbeau.
She argued that being a good employee can sometimes be a curse because the harder you work and the more productive you are, the more work you will get.
Instead of getting burnt out and risking your health, Saimbeau argued the best way to protect the quality of your work and prevent getting piled on by managers is to set healthy boundaries.
An HR executive reveals an unexpected trick to get assigned less work.
In a recent TikTok video, Saimbeau explained, "Be careful how fast you are getting things done. People are looking at you, and sadly, the hardest working employees get rewarded with more work."
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To illustrate her point, Saimbeau provided an example of receiving an email from a colleague. If someone at work sends you an email, you shouldn't respond right away; you can wait just a bit before you do. If you keep responding immediately, you create the expectation that you're always available, and then one day, when you don't respond immediately, people will be unhappy about it.
This led to her trick: Be cautious of how quickly you get work done. If you get through assignments quickly, people are going to expect you to always get things done quickly, and soon enough, you're being overworked, and if you try to slow down, it's likely you'll be penalized for it.
Many people believe that working the hardest will lead to promotions, but that's not exactly true in the corporate world.
"The people who get promotions, [who] get rewarded the most, aren't the people who do the most," Saimbeau said. "They're the people who do half as much, and they talk about it twice as much." She added that these people are amazing at storytelling and using analytics. She explained that both elements are important because analytics help the company see how you're contributing with solid proof, and storytelling ensures that they hear about it.
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According to verywell mind, most of us are taught that hard work is the key to success and satisfaction in our work lives, but the truth is the key is actually self-determination. This means that you decide what you want to do instead of letting your job decide. It's about managing your own goals and productivity — and, as it turns out, it's way more motivating than being told what to do and how quickly to do it.
Work for your own sake, not for your job's.
Work because you need a paycheck and because you want to be fulfilled by the work you do. Don't waste your time trying to please your boss and all your other higher-ups simply by working yourself to the point of burnout. In fact, research has shown that working yourself into a state of job dissatisfaction will actually hinder you from moving up the ladder if that's your end goal.
And if you really do want to impress the higher-ups in the hopes of getting a raise or promotion, then it would be wise to heed Simbeau's words and flaunt the work you do more than you actually do any work.
Sahlah Syeda is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics.