Boss berates employee for taking 'too much initiative,' tells them to do less or they'll be punished: 'I was shocked. I thought I was helping the team.'

Author image for JR Atkinson
JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
May 28, 2025 10:00 AM EDT

Growing up we are always told to go above and beyond. Coaches teachers and parents tell us to put in 110% effort and to always leave everything on the floor.  When we're kids playing Little League, we're told that if we don't "give it our all," we're not doing enough. In America, we're all conditioned from a young age to be overachievers. There is so much rhetoric about doing more than you are asked to, taking initiative, and being a self-starter. 

This remains true once we enter the workforce. We are given a job description, but with the implicit understanding that if the role requires it, we will go beyond that description in service of the company. We will take on other tasks where we see fit and help out coworkers when we can. This is generally expected at most jobs. We do what we're asked to do, plus a little bit more. 

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  • 01

    Got reprimanded for doing my job too well. Guess I'll just do the bare minimum now.

    So, I work at a mid-sized company where I was recently assigned to lead a project. I went above and beyond-coordinated with different departments, streamlined some processes, and we finished ahead of schedule. Instead of appreciation, I got
    via u/Emotional-Pie4594
  • 02
    Cheezburger Image 10510715904
    via Vitaly Gariev

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • But what happens when that all backfires? What happens when all of that rhetoric turns against us? It might sound counterintuitive, but some employers don't want their employees to do anything more than they're told. That's what happened in the story where one employee found out that doing a little too much, and jeopardized their job. They were quickly reality-checked about the kind of people they work for and it even gave them ideas about looking for a job elsewhere. Read on for the story and see what you would've done in this workplace situation.

  • 03
    called into a meeting where my manager told me that I was "overstepping" and making others look bad. They said I should "stick to my role" and not take so much initiative. I was shocked. I thought I was helping the team and the company. But apparently, doing more than
    via u/Emotional-Pie4594
  • 04
    what's asked is a problem. Fine. From now on, I'll just do exactly what's in my job description. No more, no less. It's disheartening to realize that in some workplaces, competence and initiative are punished rather than rewarded.
    via u/Emotional-Pie4594
  • 05

    Commenters came in with sympathy and ideas.

    The_Fox_Confess... 21h ago If you like the work. It's time to look for a promotion. At another company.
    via u/The_Fox_Confessor
  • 06
    Warm-Doughnut2633 21h ago Agreed. OP exposed the slacking management, so they're going into self defense to cover themselves. OP can't unring that bell the lazy, slacker management will never trust OP and will always find ways to - sandbag them. OP has a target on their back now.
    via u/Warm-Doughnut2633
  • 07
    bananalien666 · 21h ago i briefly had a boss who was like this... he asked me to pull some numbers, and i pulled that data and some other stuff that i thought was relevant/insightful etc. and he goes "i didn't ask you for that. just do what you're told please."
    via u/bananalien666
  • 08
    i never felt so disrespected in my life and was very seriously considering quitting when someone told me that guy was about to get fired (which turned out to be true.) so ... all's well that ends well, i guess!?!
    via u/bananalien666
  • 09
    Atomyis 21h ago . Honestly more people need to start understanding that there's really no reason to ever go above and beyond at work. Management will always pick out favorites and you'll slave away for a promotion that might never arrive. It's office politics.
    via u/Atomyis
  • 10
    dealchase 21h ago . Unfortunately what you're describing happens a lot, especially in large companies. Even if you make something better (i.e a process improvement) which saves the company money but it makes someone in charge look bad
    via u/dealchase
  • 11
    Cheezburger Image 10510716160
    via Saúl Bucio

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 12
    then unfortunately you will be treated badly. To add a cherry on top even if that doesn't happen you won't be rewarded for it so there is essentially no incentive in you improving efficiencies in your company, in fact the only possibility is for you to be negatively affected by it. Do your bare minimum and that's it. These people don't deserve anything better from you.
    via u/dealchase
  • 13
    1quirky1 ⚫ 18h ago Long ago my manager asked me to take a week long course to get a Microsoft certification needed to qualify as a vendor for some product. I would not be billable for an entire week. The class costs over $1,500.
    via u/1quirky1
  • 14
    I told him I could pass it without the class. I had been studying it on my own. He was ecstatic. I passed the test without missing any billable hours.
    via u/1quirky1
  • 15
    A month later I requested a $200 self study kit to learn how to support critically important software used by our largest customer. "Denied. You will develop your skills too much and start asking for more money."
    via u/1quirky1
  • 16
    That f was genuinely surprised when I gave notice a few weeks later. I gave him a blandly professional reason while declining his offer to match. He pressed for the real reason so I let him have it. "I decided to leave when you rewarded my saving you thousands by making it harder to support our customer and explicitly prohibiting my growth."
    via u/1quirky1
  • 17
    strolpol 21h ago Never do more than you're asked, it's either going to make someone embarrassed because they look inefficient or they'll figure out they can get you to take on more duties without any additional compensation
    via u/strolpol
  • 18
    ItBegins2Tell • 21h ago Then they'll accuse you of qUiEt QuitTiNg because nObOdy WAnTs To WORK AnYmOrE.
    via u/ItBegins2Tell
  • 19
    NoMansSkyWasA... 21h ago Orgs say they want 110% all the time. But realistically, if you're going to give more than 60% effort at your job then that effort would be better suited going into business for yourself.
    via u/NoMansSkyWasAlright
  • 20
    usa_reddit • 21h ago Similar thing happened to me. I fixed a multideparmental onboarding process that originally took 30-days to get a new engineer up and running down to 3 business days. It was super easy, all I
    via u/usa_reddit
  • 21
    needed to do is get off my bt and go talk to some other departments. Reprimanded for going outside my department to make the company more efficient. I didn't leave, I just moved to a different role. :)
    via u/usa_reddit
  • 22
    AdventureZED 21h ago This really hit a nerve for me. At my previous position I was basically pushed out because I brought new insights as a senior in my field. Like bu ying I've never experienced before
    via u/AdventureZED
  • 23
    Dont be disheartened. Take all of that intelligence and and put it into getting ahead with your career. Don't stay too long at a company. All the best
    via u/AdventureZED

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boss antiwork workplace-stories toxic-workplace job bosses work coworkers working reddit story toxic-boss workplace reddit thread bad bosses Reddit toxic-work-environment
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