Users Of This Online Group Were Honest About 30 Things That They Learnt From Having To Work For Someone

The answers that were upvoted by redditors the most are pretty related to one another and they talk about how the only reward people who work hard, who are honest or who are efficient in what they do is to be given even more work or it goes unnoticed altogether.

To analyze the sentiment that many people in the thread had, Bored Panda reached out to Chris Preston, Organizational Culture Expert and Founder & Director of The Culture Builders. He explained to us that “Often, hard work is down to an ethic, and people who do their utmost best are doing so because they feel it's the right thing to do. But that doesn't mean they don't need acknowledgement - and that's often what's missing.”

Colleagues and higher-ups stop acknowledging the hard work because the employee makes it look like it’s easy, they make it the ‘norm’ and don’t get praised anymore despite the job still being hard.

Chris adds, “Pay is one route, but there are a number of studies that show how money is not the best motivating/rewarding factor (and that's not just from the payroll department). Praise, non-monetary thank-you rewards and being noticed are all needed. Regularly.”

But if your inner perfectionist is crying in the corner when you don’t give your all at work, maybe it’s worth being the best you can be just for the sake of it? The Organizational Culture Expert says that in some companies you will want to work harder naturally, “Companies with a strong purpose will always have hard workers, because they aren't doing it for the organisation, they are doing it for the cause. A great example is Patagonia - they are trying to fix the planet (oh, and they sell clothing). It's the first thing they tell you, and it's their number one focus. I'd work very hard in that company.”

Despite that, it all comes to balance, “People should always work sustainably and not push themselves into burn out. Also, don't make it about others - you will just be endlessly chasing someone you think is better than you. Set out your own plan for success - work hard as you feel comfortable doing, don't compromise life and walk away at the end of the day genuinely feeling you've done a good job.”

And if you feel like you do your best but it’s not enough, Chris suggests that you consider moving on where your competence will be more appreciated.

He actually thinks that working hard is not the most important thing, “I'm not a fan of 'people should work hard' - I prefer 'People should work well' - giving plenty of effort and input, but also managing their lives so they remain balanced and happy. And organisations should help them do this by fielding good managers that know how to spot the good workers and reward them.”

Also, hard workers don’t always win. Sometimes the ones who get noticed are the ones who talk the loudest instead of those who allow their work to speak for itself. Chris is convinced that this is true, “There's a great phrase we use - 'the squeaky wheel gets the oil' - more dominant, extroverted people will tend to get higher rewards. But also, on a darker front, people with less empathy, awareness or social skills will do the same - grabbing reward at the cost of others. Sadly 'nice people miss out' is often true.”

It all comes to the management's judgment so the solution lies in them, “Managers need to be trained and adept at seeing past the noise and looking for hard work, not listening to those that say they do it.”

But surely, not all workplaces are like that because alongside with the sad truths that the redditors realised, there are plenty of success stories of people doing their job, being good at it and getting the proper acknowledgement. 

Chris would like to believe that there are more companies that are good and value their employees than the bad ones.and the thread is so negative because people tend to express negative emotions online more often than the positive ones.

What is your experience? Do you feel valued at your workplace? Are there any positive lessons that employment has taught you? Let us know in the comments.