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‘Your best becomes your baseline’: Woman explains why being too efficient at work can backfire
A woman warned against giving 100% at work, saying extra effort could quickly turn into a permanent expectation.
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A woman has sparked a conversation online after advising corporate employees against constantly giving their maximum effort at work. She argued that repeatedly exceeding expectations can eventually turn exceptional performance into the minimum expected standard, leaving workers with little flexibility on difficult days.
(Also read: Indian woman reflects on work culture after working with European client: ‘Rest isn’t something you earn’)
‘Your best becomes your baseline’
Taking to Instagram, a woman named Avreen shared a video explaining why employees should consider holding back some of their energy instead of operating at full capacity every day.
"Stop giving 100% at the office. And no, I'm not telling you to be lazy. You think that if you finish a 6-hour task in 3 hours, you'll look very efficient. That's not the case at all. From tomorrow, that work will permanently become a 3-hour job for you. You reply on Teams once at 10 pm: bravo, according to them, you are now available every night at 10 PM. Because there is an unsaid rule in corporate: 'Your best becomes your baseline.' So, give only 80% at work and save that 20% for the days when your energy is genuinely low, something is going on in your personal life, or there's an actual emergency at the office."
Through the video, Avreen suggested that consistently completing tasks much faster than expected or responding to work messages outside regular hours can gradually create new expectations. What begins as an occasional extra effort, she indicated, may soon be viewed as an employee’s normal level of output or availability.
Her suggestion of working at “80%” was not presented as an argument for being careless or unproductive. Instead, she said employees should preserve some capacity for situations when they are dealing with low energy, personal difficulties or genuine workplace emergencies.
(Also read: ‘Gen Zs are going to be better bosses’: Woman lists ‘subtle acts of toxicity’ she vows never to repeat)
Internet reacts
The post has garnered a few reactions, with several users agreeing with her views on workplace boundaries and sustainable productivity.
One user wrote, "Setting boundaries is so important." Another said, "This is actually so true." A third commented, "Corporate life explained perfectly." Echoing a similar sentiment, another user wrote, "Work smart, not endlessly."
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.)
