Are Workplace Heroes Helpful?

WHAT IS A WORKPLACE HERO?

A workplace hero is someone who sacrifices their well-being to accomplish a work task. This is the person who says “yes” to every request, takes work home, and avoids the delegation of tasks. Ultimately, they struggle to define what is “enough” when it comes to work.

ARE WORKPLACE HEROES HELPFUL?

While workplace heroes can have upsides, they also have a number of downsides. At the individual level, people playing these roles can experience burnout, anxiety, and loneliness. At the organizational level, workplaces who have heroes struggle with leadership discontinuity, bottlenecks, and lack of motivation from all staff. All of this leads to unsustainable work—which means the communities we serve ultimately suffer. Workplace heroes may provide temporary success but not long-term impact.

WHERE DOES THE IDEA OF WORKPLACE HERO COME FROM?

Often we have been nurtured into being or accepting workplace heroes—by family, school, and past jobs. We associate responsibility and success with getting the job done—even if it requires sacrifice and suffering. Sometimes this learned association is unconscious. We accept it because it is the pattern we have seen the most.

HOW IS THE WORKPLACE HERO MAINTAINED?

1.    We compartmentalize our lives. We separate our lives into personal, professional, and other categories. We rarely acknowledge that our body (and emotions) experiences it all as one.

2.    Our jobs reward the workplace hero. We celebrate the person who stayed at the office the latest and promote the person who raised the most money.

3.    Individuals and workplaces rarely question the idea of workplace heroes. We often focus on the upsides of workplace heroes (and heroes in general)—and completely miss the downsides.

HOW DO I CREATE A WORK CULTURE THAT IS MORE SUSTAINABLE?

1.   Acknowledge the dual-nature of workplace heroes—not just the upsides.

2.    Acknowledge and accept that the workplace hero mentality requires a “wide turn toward sanity”. This means it is not something that can be unlearned overnight. It requires time and consistent effort to make different decisions.

3.   Instead of leaning into the downsides of being a workplace hero, focus on holding what you can handle with care.

4.    Acknowledge and accept that work culture change requires individual and organizational development. There are many things that you can do—and there is a limit to what you can do.

5.    Consider that the younger generation may have answers to how we work more sustainably. The newest generation in the workforce is often known for setting clear boundaries about what they will and will not do. There may be a lesson in this approach for older generations to build upon.

QUESTIONS THAT STILL NEED ANSWERS

1.    How do we define what is “enough” at work?

2.    How do we turn our awareness of workplace heroes into consistent practice?

3.    What is the line between getting the job done and ensuring our well-being?

4.    How do we use intergenerational approaches to work to create a more sustainable work culture?

5.    How long does change take?