After years of overworking, employee starts setting boundaries and gets surprised with 15% raise: 'For years I was the office try-hard'

Isabella Penn

Sep 7, 2025 12:00 PM EDT

For years, one employee played the part of the office try-hard. First one in, last one out, answering emails at midnight, volunteering for every project no one else wanted. Three times, they asked for a promotion. Three times, they got the same speech about "potential" and "waiting for the right timing." Meanwhile, others with less experience (though better golf buddies) moved up the ladder.

The breaking point came last month, after yet another rejection. The employee made a choice. No more unpaid overtime, no more weekend emails, no more bending over backward to prove themselves. They started working strictly 9 to 5, declining extra requests that weren't their responsibility.

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Instead of being scolded, they were called into the boss’s office and handed a 15% raise. Their boss claimed they had “impressive growth in prioritization and efficiency.” The same boss who ignored years of late-night effort now praised them for being “more focused” and delivering “higher quality work.”
It’s hard when you’re new at a job. The interview process can be so brutal that it turns people into try-hards, terrified of losing their spot and being thrown back into the candidate pool.
But sometimes, doing less really is doing more.
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