‘Nobody cares how hard you work’: Woman shares career lesson on what actually gets employees promoted

A woman explains why meeting deadlines, solving problems and earning trust matter more than simply working long hours.

Putting in long hours at work may feel like the obvious way to prove your dedication, but one woman has argued that effort alone is not what determines career growth. In a video shared on Instagram, Freyaz Shroff spoke about why reliability, decision-making and trust often matter more in the workplace than simply appearing busy.

A woman said hard work alone did not lead to career growth, stressing that trust and reliability mattered more. (Instagram/teentotwenties)

Shroff shared the video on her Instagram account @teentotwenties, where she explained that employees may spend hours on a task and still fail to deliver what is actually required.

“Nobody cares how hard you work. At work, effort is not the same as value. You can spend 12 hours on something and still not deliver the correct thing. You can be exhausted, overwhelmed, and incredibly busy, and your boss can still be thinking, 'I don't know if I can trust that person with more responsibility.' Because careers aren't built on how hard you worked; they're built on what people trust you can do. Can you meet the deadline? Can you communicate clearly when something changes? Can you solve problems? Can you take feedback? Can you make good decisions without somebody holding your hand? That's what gets noticed. This is one of the hardest lessons to learn early in your career: stop trying to prove how hard you're working, start becoming someone people can rely on. Because nobody's going to promote you because you're tired; they're going to promote you because they trust you with something bigger.”

‘Difference between being busy and being valuable’

Her message centred on the idea that workplace value is not necessarily measured by the number of hours an employee spends working. Instead, she suggested that meeting deadlines, communicating effectively, solving problems independently and responding well to feedback can have a greater impact on how an employee is perceived.

Watch the clip here:

Internet reacts

The post drew reactions from users who largely agreed with Shroff’s take on workplace growth and career progression. One user wrote, “This is a hard truth.” Another commented, “Reliability matters more than hours.” A third person said, “This is actually solid career advice.” Echoing a similar sentiment, another user added, “Trust really changes everything at work.”

HT.com has reached out to the user for her comments, and the copy will be updated once her response is received.

(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)