Sometimes, going above and beyond can leave you wondering whether it was worth it.

In this story, and employee recently had a meeting with her team lead and manager. She told them she refused to follow an instruction she believed conflicted with company policy. Instead of giving her an explanation, she was criticized for underperforming despite giving more than 100% of her effort at work every single time.

This story is one of those workplace situations where feeling unappreciated can completely change an employee’s attitude towards their job. Have you experienced the same thing? Read the full story below.

I’ve decided to do the bare minimum at work from now on.

I recently had a meeting with my team lead and manager.

The issue started because my team lead wanted me to do something that I believed violated company policy.

I refused and reported the situation to our manager because I genuinely thought it was the right thing to do.

My goal in the meeting was simply to explain that I wasn’t comfortable going against company rules and that I wouldn’t follow instructions that conflicted with them.

This employee had been performing really well, but her manager called her out for a lack of work ethic.

Instead, my manager opened the conversation by saying he was disappointed in my work ethic.

That completely caught me off guard.

I consistently finish my work on time, take ownership of my responsibilities, and often go above and beyond. My performance has never been an issue, and the fact that my team lead is working against corporate rules was not even mentioned.

After hearing that, something changed for me. If the extra effort, initiative, and willingness to do more than required are met with criticism instead of appreciation, then I don’t see the point in continuing to give 110%.

So now, she decided to only give the bare minimum at the job.

From now on, I’ll do exactly what my job requires. Nothing more, nothing less.

I’ll complete my tasks, meet my deadlines, and use every tool available to work efficiently, including ChatGPT and other AI tools where they’re allowed.

Why should I keep giving everything when it clearly isn’t valued?

Looking back, I honestly feel sooooo stupid for putting in so much extra effort when it seems to have made no difference.

Do you have any tips on doing the bare minimum?

I can understand why OP feels frustrated after putting in so much effort and then being criticized. Just because she refused to do something she thought was unethical doesn’t mean she wasn’t a team player. I guess if all her hard work isn’t really being valued, there’s nothing wrong with reassessing how much she is willing to give.

Let’s read the comments of other Reddit users on this story.

This user can relate.

Here’s some advice.

Another suggestion.

If you enjoyed this story, check out this post about a company that didn’t expect their work-from-home policy to result in better time off benefits for their employees.

Here’s another idea.

Lastly, this person suggests automating the job.

Sometimes, you learn to stop giving more than you’re asked for.