'Workaholic' employee has the best reaction to boss degrading them for prioritizing work-life balance

The realities of employers demeaning and having inhumane expectations from their employees are not new. There are many instances where companies expect employees to do more than their position demands in addition to frivolous rules and policies. One shouldn't have to do more than their job and practically slog to expect any promotions or appreciation. u/nonmaesandwiches shared how their employer called them out when they decided to discontinue overworking themselves and maintain a work-life balance instead. They revealed the harsh expectations managers hold and how it is simply ridiculous to excel in them.

The employee began by sharing that they were a former workaholic. They hustled hard because, like any other employee, they thought hard work would get their superiors to notice their worth and potential. They mentioned that they had a “personal desire to succeed and also wanted to advance with the company.” Further, it was also revealed that they put in late nights, skipped meals and went all out in completing the tasks assigned to them. They focused on getting their job done rather than living their life and said that their work-life balance went for a toss. Despite tremendous efforts, they were “getting nowhere.”

Soon, the employee decided that they needed to fix the issue and started prioritizing the much-needed work-life balance. It was also mentioned that u/nonmaesandwiches took their meals and breaks as and when they were due and even worked as per office hours. However, after all that time slogging, only when they decided to put themselves first did the manager notice. “The boss man pulled me in and said it looks like I’m no longer invested and that I will no longer be considered for a manager role if I’m not willing to work through my lunches or into the evening,” the post read. While the employee found the boss’ outlook simply bizarre, they couldn’t help but understand the perspective and unrealistic expectations the company and superiors hold. 

The post concluded with the employee saying, “That would have bothered me before. Now I can’t help but laugh because it completely reinforces my thoughts toward the boss/company.” Many other employees face the dilemma u/nonmaesandwiches did. People commented about the incident expressing how cruel the work system and expectations can be. u/tehjoz said, “Well, boss, that's a shame. Because healthy, well-rested managers would be far more efficient and effective and thus more profitable for their firm, than managers who burn themselves out from a lack of balance in their lives.”

u/Relevant_Crew4817 said, "You're not promoting me for burning myself out (you didn't anyway), you're promoting me if you don't want me to be doing the work I'm doing now for a different company soon." Other users shared their experiences and how they fell for the manipulation as well. u/ejrhonda79 said, “After having fallen victim to the scam of working hard now for later rewards, I've become pretty adept at recognizing the signs and noping out of those situations.” u/kindly-Guidance714 said, “Anything that’s not written on paper and signed is just dust in the wind never and I mean never take your jobs word for it. If it’s not in writing, if it's not on paper then it doesn’t exist.”