'I finally told my manager that I will NOT be working on anything outside my scope of responsibilities': People share how to stand up for yourself at work

Elna McHilderson • Managing Editor

Mar 3, 2023 1:00 PM EST

The boomers who raised many of us in the workforce now were taught that if you try your hardest and show the higher ups that you can go above and beyond, then you will be rewarded for your hard work. The boomers worked up their nepotism work chain, so why can't you? The funny thing about advice from boomer as that it is dated and matter of factly, expired.

As us millennials and Gen Z start to take over the workforce, we see more and more that no, your hard work does not get rewarded unless you fight for it. It isn't this la la land that the boomers described of mutual respect and destruction of ego. It's the exact opposite of that. That is why when entering the workforce these days you have to learn how to be able to stand up for yourself and hold your ground. Yes, it's true that the current economical situation isn't ideal in the U.S. and it's hard enough just to get hired. But more and more millennials and Gen Z are deciding they'd rather survive off of Top Ramen everyday than let their management use and abuse them.

Recently a Redditor shared how they finally stood up to their boss after several years of unappreciated hard work. When the boss asked them to do something extra that had nothing to do with their official position, they simply told them no. They said it is not in their job description and if they want them to do something outside of their scope of responsibilities they were going to have to pay them extra for it. And THAT is showbiz, babyyyy.

Many other Redditors praised this employee for standing up for themselves and shared their own journey of standing their ground at work: