Can being the best at work become a problem? Man's office advice sparks debate

An Instagram post has triggered a workplace debate by arguing that reliable employees are often handed extra tasks. The post spotlights how competence can bring heavier workloads without matching recognition.Can being the best at work become a problem? Man’s office advice sparks debateYou finish your work on time. You rarely need reminders. Your manager knows they can count on you when something needs to be done. Sounds like the ideal employee, right?Not always.A man named Cheema has sparked a workplace debate after sharing a blunt observation about what can happen when an employee becomes too reliable. His argument is simple: being consistently good at your job can sometimes result in one unwanted reward: more work.In a video shared on Instagram, Cheema said employees who regularly deliver high-quality work can become the people managers depend on most. “Friend, if you do your work with complete honesty and deliver 100% good quality, maybe no one has told you this, but it can turn into a punishment for you,” he said.WHEN ‘WELL DONE’ BECOMES ‘CAN YOU ALSO?’Cheema described what he believes happens next. Once a manager knows that an employee can be trusted to deliver, additional tasks may start coming their way. “Good work is appreciated with more work!” he said, adding that when one person consistently produces better results, “they give you even more work because no one else is delivering the kind of quality you do.”The problem, he suggested, is not just the extra work itself. It is what happens when dependable employees begin compensating for colleagues who do less.“And the other person who doesn't want to work, their work gets handed to you as well,” Cheema said.He summed up the workplace dynamic with a phrase many employees may recognise: “Play dumb, and the next person will do the work.”That, he argued, can leave the most efficient employee becoming the team’s unofficial workhorse, taking on task after task because they have already proved they can handle it.YOUR BEST SKILL NEEDS A LIMITCheema’s advice was not to stop doing good work, but to stop allowing good performance to become an open invitation for unlimited responsibilities.“Learn to set boundaries. Do only as much work as is healthy for you, so that extra work isn't dumped on you,” he said.He also advised workers to “know your value” and, if they feel they are consistently being overloaded, to “tone down your work a little” and “play it smart”.The message overlaid on his video put the argument more bluntly: “Stop being too good at everything. It’s a trap.”His broader point is about the difference between being valued and being relied upon too heavily. A strong employee should ideally gain trust, opportunities and growth, not become the automatic solution every time a team has too much on its plate.The caption summed up that idea: “Do good work. Know your worth. Set your boundaries. Because your competence should buy you freedom, not just a bigger workload.”- EndsPublished By: Princy ShuklaPublished On: Aug 31, 2026 20:58 IST