In today’s fast-paced corporate world, the pressure to constantly overdeliver has become a silent stress. From staying late to answering emails on weekends, many employees feel that success demands a 24/7 commitment to their job.
The hustle culture , once glorified as a badge of dedication, is now being called out for leading to burnout, resentment, and a lack of recognition. Ironically, those who work the hardest are sometimes the ones overlooked for promotions or raises and are seen as dependable workhorses rather than rising leaders.
Mental health conversations are now growing louder in the workplace with burnout reaching record levels, and amid this, employees are beginning to push back. People are starting to question the assumption that “more hours” means “more value.” Instead, they’re focusing on balance, efficiency, and respect for their own time.
Recently, a story from Reddit’s r/careeradvice subreddit has gone viral that perfectly tells the story about this change. It is about an employee who stopped overworking not out of laziness, but out of quiet rebellion and ended up getting the raise he had been denied for years.
The 9-5 rebellion that paid off
The Reddit user, who shared his experience anonymously, described himself as the quintessential "office try-hard", always early, always available, always the one fixing last-minute problems. Despite his dedication, he was repeatedly passed over for promotions. The final blow came when a less-experienced colleague with stronger social ties in the company was promoted ahead of him.
Frustrated and demoralized, he decided to change tactics. “I stopped checking emails at night, declined last-minute favors, and maintained firm boundaries. No more firefighting. No more free labor. Just focused, timely work,” he wrote.
The unexpected reward
Then came the surprise. After adopting strict 9-to-5 boundaries, he was called in for a meeting with his manager and awarded a 15% raise. And the feedback was amazingly positive, “Impressive growth in prioritisation and efficiency.” Even more unexpectedly, his boss praised him for being “more focused” and “delivering higher quality work.”
The Redditor was shocked because “Everything I thought would get me ahead, overworking, being available 24/7, actually worked against me. And now that I’ve stopped trying so hard, suddenly I’m promotion material?” he wrote in the viral post.
Reddit users related deeply to the story and showered multiple reactions to the post. One user commented, “Looking overwhelmed actually hurts your image. Setting boundaries made me look more competent.” Another pointed out, “Now you’re actually focused on your own work and giving it more attention.”
Some speculated the raise was also strategic,“Your boss noticed a new pattern. A pattern that usually ends with a great employee leaving,” read one comment.
The hustle culture , once glorified as a badge of dedication, is now being called out for leading to burnout, resentment, and a lack of recognition. Ironically, those who work the hardest are sometimes the ones overlooked for promotions or raises and are seen as dependable workhorses rather than rising leaders.
Mental health conversations are now growing louder in the workplace with burnout reaching record levels, and amid this, employees are beginning to push back. People are starting to question the assumption that “more hours” means “more value.” Instead, they’re focusing on balance, efficiency, and respect for their own time.
Recently, a story from Reddit’s r/careeradvice subreddit has gone viral that perfectly tells the story about this change. It is about an employee who stopped overworking not out of laziness, but out of quiet rebellion and ended up getting the raise he had been denied for years.
The 9-5 rebellion that paid off
The Reddit user, who shared his experience anonymously, described himself as the quintessential "office try-hard", always early, always available, always the one fixing last-minute problems. Despite his dedication, he was repeatedly passed over for promotions. The final blow came when a less-experienced colleague with stronger social ties in the company was promoted ahead of him.
Frustrated and demoralized, he decided to change tactics. “I stopped checking emails at night, declined last-minute favors, and maintained firm boundaries. No more firefighting. No more free labor. Just focused, timely work,” he wrote.
The unexpected reward
Then came the surprise. After adopting strict 9-to-5 boundaries, he was called in for a meeting with his manager and awarded a 15% raise. And the feedback was amazingly positive, “Impressive growth in prioritisation and efficiency.” Even more unexpectedly, his boss praised him for being “more focused” and “delivering higher quality work.”
The Redditor was shocked because “Everything I thought would get me ahead, overworking, being available 24/7, actually worked against me. And now that I’ve stopped trying so hard, suddenly I’m promotion material?” he wrote in the viral post.
Reddit users related deeply to the story and showered multiple reactions to the post. One user commented, “Looking overwhelmed actually hurts your image. Setting boundaries made me look more competent.” Another pointed out, “Now you’re actually focused on your own work and giving it more attention.”
Some speculated the raise was also strategic,“Your boss noticed a new pattern. A pattern that usually ends with a great employee leaving,” read one comment.
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