9 Reasons Why The Best Employees At Work Are Usually The Most Frustrated
MAYA LAB | Shutterstock For the most part, productive employees who are overall hard-working tend to also be the ones that might become frustrated by their work environment.
In Gallup's 2026 State of the Global Workplace, only 20% of employees globally are engaged, while 64% of employees are not engaged and 16% are actively disengaged. On paper it might look like they have everything under control, but the majority of employees are having to take a deep breath before they enter their workplace.
What they never let others see, especially their boss and other co-workers, is the fact that they're dealing with so much that tends to make their job ten times harder. There are many reasons why the best employees at work are usually the most frustrated, but most of them have to do with taking on too much responsibility and not receiving enough credit for their hard work. And having to deal with these things makes them feel like they're two seconds away from throwing in the towel.
Here are 9 reasons why the best employees at work are usually the most frustrated
1. They carry more responsibility than their job title actually says
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At least 77% of employees tend to take on additional work beyond their job description. The same can definitely be said for the best employees at a company. They are often the ones being asked to put more on their plate because of how hard-working they tend to be.
While they may not have an issue with taking on more responsibilities, they aren't usually ever properly compensated for it or even given acknowledgement. When they're constantly being overworked with no benefits to show for it, it's only a matter of time before that resentment begins to build.
2. They notice inefficiencies others overlook
The most high-performing employees are often the ones that tend to notice the things that are extremely broken and outdated in the workplace. That could be anything from the systems not being up-to-date and even how management treats the staff with policies that don't really work for this day and age.
When those issues tend to go unheard or not fixed at all, it just makes their jobs harder, which then makes them even more frustrated and annoyed. It doesn't matter how many times they bring these issues to management, without a proper solution it ends up impacting the quality of work they are producing.
3. They rarely have space to disconnect
Because these individuals are often high-performing, it means they don't really have any time to relax. They are usually being given work to do and having to stay even way past clock-out time.. Without time to actually disconnect from work, the frustration builds up and then the burnout quickly sets in.
Without time off and actually being able to decompress, employees are experiencing more stress than their bodies can handle. Before they know it, their mental and physical health have taken a toll. The best employees can't perform and turn in the quality of work they're known for without having time to truly step away from the desk and pour energy back into their personal life.
4. They get interrupted more than everyone else
The most high-performing employees at work usually struggle with actually being able to stay on task. And it's never because they are procrastinating, but because they are being pulled away to deal with some other task.
Many of their co-workers and even managers tend to assume that because they turn in quality work, it means they suddenly have time to handle things that aren't even in their job description. So, they get interrupted and it becomes frustrating, as they are unable to stay focused. And now, they have to stay late and work on the tasks that were actually assigned to them.
5. They get looped into too many meetings
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An estimated 93% of workers don't like the way their company's typical meetings are set up, another 45% say their meetings are unnecessarily long. Usually, employees who are well-liked and bring a lot to the company in terms of productivity find themselves being included in more meetings.
The problem with the meetings is that they typically don't ever have an adequate runtime and, on top of that, it takes time away from them actually completing their work. A lot of the time, the meetings could have been an email.
6. They're held responsible for team outcomes
Even when they have no obligation to be held responsible for the outcomes of those that work with them, the best employees tend to be grouped in with making sure others get their work done well. That level of expectation is usually not in their job description at all, considering they are usually never a manager or team leader.
Yet, when things don't turn out the way they should with their team, they usually bear the brunt of the consequences. Because of that, they feel a bit bitter towards actual management for not doing their job and overseeing the employees.
7. They're often last to receive support
Due to the fact that their work is usually the best out of every other employee, most of the time they don't really receive support. Managers just automatically assume they're fine because they've proven how capable they are.
So, even when they are given a task without clear instructions, the help they may try asking for isn't ever readily available for them. That leaves them feeling frustrated, because even though they have done good work in the past, it doesn't mean they are suddenly capable of everything and anything thrown their way.
8. They rarely get credit because their work looks effortless
The best employees sometimes work without getting the credit they deserve because of how they're able to make difficult tasks look easy. A lot of the time, their managers tend to assume that it didn't take much effort for them to complete that task when, in reality, it definitely did.
Not getting the credit and acknowledgement they deserve makes them feel frustrated when they put a lot of their time and energy into the projects they're doing. Without the proper recognition, they start to feel like they're being taken for granted.
9. They see leadership gaps more clearly
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Being deeply engaged at their job usually means they can see the lack of good management. They can immediately recognize when things are quite disorganized within their management, and how a lot of them have no idea what they're doing or even how to run a team efficiently.
A lot of the time, they have to notice it because it usually affects their own workload and the expectations placed on them. When there's poor management where the proper skills are lacking, it doesn't take much for everyone in the office to eventually feel it, too.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
