Employee Complains About High-Achieving Co-Workers Who Make Everyone Else Look Like Slackers
Some people are just trying to get their work done and go home.
voronaman / Shutterstock If you've ever been in a work meeting with that one employee who's trying really hard to impress the boss, you know how annoying it can be. It's a waste of time that could be better spent actually getting work done. Unfortunately, that one overachieving co-worker needs to make themselves heard, and according to one worker, everyone else has to suffer.
The worker, fed up with what he called "extra hardworking employees," complained about their behavior on Reddit. His main point was that these seemingly hard-working employees ruin it for co-workers who just want to finish their tasks and go home. And while many people seemed to agree with him, others argued that there's nothing wrong with trying to show your worth in an effort to advance in your career.
An employee complained that his high-achieving co-workers make everyone else look like slackers.
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The frustrated employee wrote, "These people make meetings run longer, make everyone else work harder with no extra compensation, and are just a pain for all of us who have a life outside of work." Sounds like he just got out of a meeting that could have been an email, but he made some very good points.
There are only so many hours in a working day, and it's getting harder and harder to maintain any semblance of work-life balance. An employee who makes everyone else work longer hours to get ahead isn't really appreciated.
Employees are facing high rates of burnout, which is exacerbated by the economy and stagnant salaries.
Inflation is high. The cost of living is high. Wages are stagnant, and the job market is terrible. Basically, employees are holding onto their jobs with both hands, which means they are stressed, putting in more hours than they are being paid, and not asking for anything in return.
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Is it any wonder that a 2025 Glassdoor report found that burnout is at a 10-year high among U.S. professionals? Glassdoor’s Lead Economist, Daniel Zhao, explained, “As businesses trim budgets and headcounts, employees and managers alike are being asked to do more with less.” Adding, “That’s a recipe for burnout as workers are stretched increasingly thin without an end in sight.”
Working overtime means spending less time with loved ones at home, and doing so for status rather than higher pay doesn’t make much sense to most people, but there isn't much choice nowadays. Employees who disregard that fact in an effort to elevate themselves only make the burnout and frustration worse.
"I literally worked a 10 hour day today," the man on Reddit wrote. But he didn't want to. He said, "Did I volunteer to do extra work in the meeting today? Nope. Did I work hard to complete my work? Yes. Did I keep asking questions in the meeting to look overly engaged? No."
He confessed, "I get my work done and stay out of the way. I have a life and family outside of work. I work hard only to provide for us, not to get some magical pat on the back or praise from my manager."
Dealing with co-workers isn't always easy, but it's part of life.
Some people might call these high-achieving employees "workaholics," which basically means they're almost addicted to their jobs. Dealing with them can be a bit tricky, but setting boundaries is an important first step.
Executive coach and social worker Melody Wilding explained that the first step in dealing with difficult co-workers is to stop taking their behavior and choices so personally. It's common to assume they are trying to outperform you, but that might not be true.
Wilding said, "Your colleague is probably not overworking to intimidate or one-up you. Debias your thinking by considering other reasons for their behavior. For example, perhaps your colleague is going through something personally and is throwing themselves into work as an escape. Or maybe they are reacting to a past workplace trauma."
If, however, your overachieving co-worker directly impacts your own work or schedule, Wilding insisted that setting boundaries is essential. She said, "Workaholics tend to have few boundaries. They may bend over backwards to accommodate last-minute changes and struggle to say no to requests. You'll need to play defense by managing expectations around response times and your availability." It likely won't be easy, but if you want to create a happier and healthier work environment, it's essential.
Ultimately, overworking is not necessary for success. Alice Boyes, a former clinical psychologist, explained in an article for Harvard Business Review that social pressure to do more than what's needed for your job can lead to anxiety and emotional trouble. Instead, she argued that working efficiently is more important than working overtime.
The worker on Reddit has the right to be upset about an overachieving co-worker, not because that person wants to do more to get ahead, but because their actions might affect others. When it’s time to clock out, some people just want to go home, not work overtime.
Matt Machado is a writer studying journalism at the University of Central Florida. He covers relationships, psychology, celebrities, pop culture, and human interest topics.
