You don’t always have to be the star player in the office.

In this story, a man began his job as a highly motivated employee who overworked himself trying to help everyone.

But over time, he noticed that others were barely doing the minimum while still getting by.

So he eventually changed his approach and decided to blend in instead of burning out from overwork.

Check out the full details below to get an idea.

Playing Dumb is the trick to success.

In a corporate setting, being a competent idiot is the ultimate smoke screen.

If you are likable, you can essentially do as you want without question.

They will not even check your work.

This man started out as a model employee.

When I first began my role, I was the model employee.

I came into the office early and left late. I was the hardest working person on the team.

I was helping everyone else and burning myself out.

Immediately, I could see that my colleagues were essentially idiots.

He eventually stopped carrying other people’s workload.

A minority of our team is competent.

They are working overdrive to carry people that do the bare minimum.

I stopped carrying people’s workloads. I started making small “errors” when I found their work on my desk.

I let them trip themselves up. I did it with a smile.

Kind words. I am kind, but dumb obviously.

He started doing only the bare minimum.

The cameras are not even dated properly.

I started coming and going as I liked. No one noticed.

I started napping on company time. No one noticed.

All I had to do was the bare minimum.

Be positive with a positivity of almost manic compliance.

Any problems, I just fake it and smile.

Despite all these, he was recognized as the highest performer on the team.

Now, the manager has stated I am the highest performer on the team during my own last team meeting.

Because there is so much negativity, people burn themselves out.

If you are not drawn into it by having unwavering positivity, you will ascend.

Fake it. Be an idiot.

Wow, that’s a pretty cynical but interesting shift in mindset. OP clearly went from overworking to protecting his own energy.

It may have worked for him, but I don’t think it could be applied to every employee or to every workplace.

His workplace culture sounds pretty uneven, anyway.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about an employee who rejects a low contract offer and leaves the company instead.

Let’s see how others reacted to this story.

This person makes a valid point.

This one makes sense, too.

Short and simple.

Another one chimes in.

Finally, this user shares some insights.

In the office, sometimes, blending in beats burning out.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a woman who got promoted, then realized they set her replacement up to fail.