We’ve all heard it. That smug corporate phrase that gets thrown around like confetti during performance reviews — “We really appreciate you going above and beyond.” It’s meant to sound like praise. Like you’re being recognised for doing something extraordinary. But let’s be honest. What it really means is “Thanks for doing more than we pay you for. Here’s absolutely nothing in return.”
The Trap Disguised as Recognition
At first, it feels good. You stay late, pick up extra work, help your overwhelmed teammate, and take initiative because you actually care. You think you’re making a name for yourself. You imagine someone’s taking note, that it’s building toward something.
But here’s the thing they don’t tell you: going above and beyond becomes your new baseline. You do 120% for long enough, and suddenly 120% is expected. You stop getting praise and start getting pressure. The person who goes the extra mile once is a hero. The person who does it every day is “just doing their job.”
And promotions? Pay rises? Recognition? You’ll be passed over for someone who smiled more in meetings.
The Real Winners Aren’t Doing More — They’re Just Seen More
In every company, there’s always that one person who seems to float to the top while doing the bare minimum. They don’t take on extra work. They don’t stay late. But they know how to be visible. They attend the right meetings, talk just enough to sound engaged, and somehow always end up in leadership’s good books.
Meanwhile, the person grinding through double workloads? Often overlooked. Too reliable to be rewarded. Too quiet to be remembered.
This is how the system works: it doesn’t reward effort, it rewards optics. And if you’re killing yourself to prove your value, you’re probably just making it easier for the company to exploit you while giving someone else the credit.
Doing More Doesn’t Mean You Matter More
Let me be clear — I’m not saying you should do a bad job. What I am saying is this: do your job well, but don’t die for it. Don’t pull late nights unless you’re being paid or it’s for your career. Don’t take on extra projects unless they help you grow. Stop trying to be a team player when the team won’t back you when it matters.
And stop assuming your manager is tracking all the extra work you’re doing. They’re not. They’re busy forwarding emails and preparing for meetings where they pretend to understand what you do. If your impact isn’t visible and documented, it basically didn’t happen. That’s the brutal truth of corporate life.
The Moral: Work Smarter for You, Not Harder for Them
If you’re not the owner of the company, you are a cost on a spreadsheet. Full stop. The second your extra effort stops being convenient, it gets forgotten.
So don’t go above and beyond unless you’re doing it for yourself — to learn something, to add to your CV, or to build a connection that actually means something. Because the cold, hard truth is: no one’s coming to save you, promote you, or reward you just for being a nice, hardworking employee.
You don’t get a medal for burnout. You get used, and then replaced when you’ve got nothing left to give.
Want to grow? Set boundaries. Be excellent at your core role. Track your wins. Speak up about your achievements. And most importantly, learn when to say no.
Your time, your energy, and your peace of mind are worth more than a Slack emoji and a “great job!” from someone who wouldn’t notice if you left tomorrow.
The Toxic Boss 
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