No good deed goes unpunished! Staff who go the extra mile in their jobs are more likely to be exploited by their bosses, who see them as easy targets for extra tasks, study shows
- Such staff are more likely to stay late or perform tasks that are not in their job description.
- Being too dedicated to work can be counterproductive for employees, researchers said
Staff who go the extra mile in their jobs are more likely to be exploited by their bosses, a study shows.
Managers take advantage of the most loyal employees, seeing them as easy targets for additional tasks.
The researchers found that these staff are more likely to be asked to stay late, do things that are not in their job description, or even take work with them on vacation.
They warn that being too dedicated to work can backfire on employees and have negative consequences for their career and family life.
Loyalty in the workplace is traditionally lauded as an admirable quality in most employees.
The researchers found that these staff are more likely to be asked to stay late, do things that are not in their job description, or even take work with them on vacation.
Managers take advantage of employees who show the most loyalty, the research found. file image
It means they are more likely to fully commit to their roles and less likely to move on to rival employers.
Most companies rely on the loyalty of staff to ensure that the business runs smoothly with minimal disruption.
But the latest study, conducted by researchers at Duke University in North Carolina, US, suggests that many bosses abuse the dedication of staff.
The study, conducted by Duke University in North Carolina, USA, presented managers with two employee profiles. One had a reputation for being loyal to his boss, the other much less likely to be loyal.
They were asked which they would request to work late without extra pay or perform unpopular tasks without reward. The results, published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, showed that bosses were more willing to take advantage of loyal workers than try to get less committed workers to do tasks.
The researchers said: ‘Managers assume that loyal workers are particularly likely to do this extra work, as loyalty comes with an expectation of self-sacrifice for the organization as a whole.
“But it seems unlikely that managers would expect a disloyal worker to show such self-sacrifice.”
Professor Cary Cooper, an expert in organizational psychology and health at the University of Manchester, said: “Organizations or individual managers often get rid of good people without getting the recognition that should come with it, such as more money or a promotion.”
“Part of the problem is that many managers are technically highly skilled but have terrible soft skills.
They are the type that will probably try to exploit the loyalty of the staff.
