New Delhi: Recently, a post has been viral on social media, where a Mumbai man has explained how Gen Z has finally cracked that if you do more, get more work cycle, by stating several young employees were now opting out, as the high performers were often rewarded with more workload rather than recognition.
This incident was shared by a Mumbai-based professional on LinkedIn. In his post, he opened with the hard-hitting observation that, “The biggest punishment in the corporate world right now isn’t about getting a bad review. It is the absolute trap of being a highly reliable employee.”
Then he narrated the overall experience of his brother’s flatmate, a designer known for completing his daily tasks far quicker than others at his agency. He would typically finish his assigned work by 4 PM, while the rest of his team took until around 7 PM.
Rather than being rewarded for his efficiency, his manager began rewarding him with additional tasks, specifically the unfinished work of those slow-performing colleagues. When he raised the issue during his performance review and asked for a raise, he was handling double the workload, and he was told that it was simply part of being a good team player.
In the modern workplace, the only reward for doing great work is just more work. Companies are often overlooked for underperformance while placing an extra burden on efficient employees, stating they actively punish the high performers by dumping the entire department’s weight on their shoulders.
This is exactly why Gen Z has completely stopped going above and beyond. They are not lazy; they have just figured out that being a superstar only buys a fast track to burnout.
He then urged leaders to rethink their approach. If people want someone to do the work of three people, they need to pay them three salaries. Organizations should stop treating their most efficient employees like a free dumping ground for bad management after this designer left the agency for a better opportunity, where his efficiency is respected.
Rather than being burdened with the extra workload, he also logged off on time and spent his evenings with the family and pursuing personal interests.
