Employee stops overworking as it hasn't brought any raises, workload increases for everybody else, boss notices how much he was doing when he stopped: 'He admitted I was doing work that should have been divided between at least two roles.'

Author image for María Cetra
María Cetra • Writer
Jun 27, 2026 11:15 AM EDT

Have you ever worked so hard for something, and just when you give up, you achieve it?

Working is stressful enough, but overworking, volunteering to do other people's jobs, and staying after your shift to help out is actually insanely tiresome. Your job is important, especially if you want a career out of it, but you can't make your work your full life. Some influencers talk on and on about work-life balance, and even though sometimes it feels as if they are talking about some magical world, they do have some actual points. You should have some kind of balance in which your whole day isn't overpacked with your job. You also should have family, friends, or hobbies. Or even sleep. Putting so much attention on one single thing can be damaging not only to someone's mental health but also to their physical health. Is important to take breaks and rest. We need to stop.

In this Reddit story, this user has done so much for their company that they don't even remember what their job description was. They have taken over unfinished projects and other coworkers' hours. He does SO MUCH it's actually insane. When he decided to give up and just do what he was supposed to, everything trembled. The main part of the company started to disappear, leaving a big mess behind. His boss noticed it, but instead of thinking he had given up, he thought he was overworked, when actually he had worked the least in his whole time in the company. When he stopped is when the boss noticed. If he had never stopped, he might never have been recognized for his efforts. He needed that break to show everyone how much he was needed. Sometimes, to stop doing something shows more than doing it ever did. 
 

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    A person working on their computer, representation.
    via microsoft365

    A person working on their computer, representation. 

  • 02
    For most of the past year, I was the person who always said yes. Someone needed help finishing a report, I did it. A deadline moved up, I stayed late. A coworker was out and their tasks had to be covered, I took them without making a big deal about it. I thought being dependable would eventually lead to more recognition, or at least a serious conversation about a raise. Instead, the extra work just became part of what everyone
    via CyborgRelic
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    expected from me. None of it was added to my official responsibilities, but somehow it was always assumed I would handle it.
    via CyborgRelic
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    About six weeks ago I decided to stop volunteering. I still completed all of my assigned work on time, answered questions, and helped when something was genuinely urgent. But when my manager asked the team if anyone could take on another project, I stayed quiet. When someone tried to pass me a task because I had "done it before," I said I didnt have the capacity. It felt uncomfortable at
    via CyborgRelic
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    first because I was so used to proving that I could handle everything. A few people seemed surprised, but nothing actually fell apart. The work either went to someone else, got delayed, or was suddenly considered less important than everyone had claimed.
    via CyborgRelic
  • 06
    Last week my manager scheduled a meeting and said he had noticed I seemed overloaded lately. That was almost funny, because my workload had actually become lighter. The difference was that I had stopped hiding it by quietly absorbing every extra task. We went through my responsibilities, and he admitted I was doing work that should have been divided between at least two roles. He removed two recurring tasks from
    via CyborgRelic
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    my plate and said we would discuss changing my title during the next review cycle. I'm not assuming anything until it happens, but I learned a pretty frustrating lesson: constantly rescuing the team didnt make my workload visible, it made it invisible. Has anyone else found that doing less extra work actually made management take them more seriously?
    via CyborgRelic
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    Embarrassed-Juice869 There is a saying, hard work just gets you more work, 90% of the time with no additional compensation or recognition. Most of the time, it just becomes, "I know Joe can handle the additional tasks/workload/special projects,, but it doesn't justify a raise because he hasn't gone above and beyond on his standard job duties AKA the infamous, "ON TARGET"
    via Embarrassed-Juice869
  • 09
    axord constantly rescuing the team didnt make my workload visible, it made it invisible. Typically, people notice disasters that effect them, they don't notice disasters avoided, not the effort that took.
    via axord
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    Confident-Play6222 I have not noticed but I read about this. Your role might change but make sure its compensated enough in case they now ask you to do what you used to do when you felt like giving. Your manager just said they knew this was a two 2 job thing but they let you pull through by yourself. This means someone was doing less. Now that you dont
    via Confident-Play6222
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    help anymore its likely on his plate and I think this is why he wants to promote you. State your terms and conditions and have it in writing so you have some protection for future for any unfair dismissals(prepare for the worst and hope the best)
    via Confident-Play6222
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    Sad_Evidence5318 Every year my bosses talk about how little extra work I do and every year I tell them when I'm compensated for the extra work I'll do more
    via Sad_Evidence5318
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    atworkthough My boss did the same thing and now I have a different boss. A managers job is to manage employees if you can't help or recognize your employees work you are a manager.
    via atworkthough
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    prismberry89 this is such a common experience and it is frustrating that it takes pulling back for management to finally see what was always there
    via prismberry89
  • 15
    sewingmomma Great time to ask for a raise.
    via sewingmomma
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    TomeThugNHarmony4664 This is an excellent insight. In teaching, our version is, "Those that CAN get punished." Incompetent colleague? They won't get trained or remediated or even, in extreme cases, fired. YOU will have overloaded classes instead until there is not literally room for one more body in your room.
    via TomeThugNHarmony4664
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    Capable of getting a kid with issues to behave? You will now get ALLL the kids with issues- and there are a lot of them. And you will keep doing it anyway because you don't think kids are disposable. Good for you for figuring out how to advocate for yourself!
    via TomeThugNHarmony4664
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    Causerae Hi twinsie Great feeling saying no, isn't it, tho? Ime, waiting and expecting recognition doesn't work. It's disappointing. I'm happy doing less at this point.
    via Causerae
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    Nots_a_Banana Being good at your job means you get more work to do.
    via Nots_a_Banana
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    Pseudo Racoon Being the Yes one is never good they thinks you just love your work and will never ask for more.
    via PseudoRacoon
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    MiserableWash2473 I wish. Then again I work in the service industry My manager keeps complaining and I am very happily not picking up the extra slack until I get the promotion/pay I deserve. I'm too old and in too much physical pain to be that person anymore.
    via MiserableWash2473
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    A boss and an employee agreeing on something, model image.
    via krakenimages

    A boss and an employee agreeing on something, model image. 

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workload not my job stress relief overworked-employees
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