Stand your ground, know your worth and find a way out. 

Ok, let’s assume that the boss wants to fire you because you don’t want to do extra work, then the company isn’t for you and he will do you a favor by letting you go. You need to know your value, if you do extra things, you need to get a reward for it. Either some “credit” for a future promotion, some money or satisfaction. Don’t say yes just because you feel the manager’s pressure.

I have bills to pay and a family to take care of, I can’t just say “no”.

I heard this sooo many times. It’s unfortunate that people aren’t taught how to deal with this kind of situation. Stand your ground, know your worth and find a way out. There’s always a way!

Always keep your resume up to date. Do your best to have 6 months of expenses put aside, especially these days, when the job market is a really tough place. A lot of work, plus the stress of not having a way out, can and will be the start of burnout.

 Maybe, at the start of a new job you try hard to do a lot of things so that the manager notices you. After some time, this will either become a habit and you’ll experience burnout or you’re slowly going to do only what’s necessary. I know that there is this unwritten rule of getting noticed by the manager fast, by doing a lot of things done in a short amount of time, so that you seem like a hardworking person.

What does that do to your mental health though, is it really worth it?

Think about it. Take things slow, as long as you’re doing a great job, people will notice and like you even more. Furthermore, the leader will give you more responsibility, or you can just ask for it.

 Maybe you’re putting on a mask. You want to be perceived as a valuable asset. There are quite a few problems with this approach. You’re not real with the people around you. You create a false persona; you lie to yourself and to your colleagues.

Why do you do that?

Because I need people to like me.

Why?

For validation.

Why do you need validation from a bunch of strangers?

Uh… uh… because I want them to like me.

Yes, I get it, but why do you want/need them to like you?

I don’t know.