The Rules of Work - no good deed ever goes unpunished

It's tempting at work to want to go the extra mile, do something beyond your remit or use your initiative to make something better. These are good traits, and will give you good marks in your appraisal. But be warned, it depends on how you go about it.



If you decide to go the extra mile to improve something, it could backfire on you, even if you've been successful. First, by exceeding your remit you will present a bigger target for people to aim at. And believe me, some will resent your actions (and success). So you may attract more criticism. Second, if you get a reputation as a willing volunteer or someone who's always prepared to dive in and 'make things happen' then people may see you as a 'soft touch', and someone who can be lumbered with all sorts of tasks because you're always first to stick your head above the parapet.

So people who are lazy, want to shirk or whose working life consists of delegating as much as they can may think they can use you as their mule; someone to do all the dirty work. How do you stop this?

The answer is not to stop showing initiative or tone down your strong work ethic but to draw lines in the sand early. Make it crystal clear that you're just helping out and it's not in your job description. Head off criticism at the pass by making it clear to whom feedback should go, that you are limited in what extra work you can take on and that you have to focus on your main job.

The most important thing is to spell out the scope of what you are doing. Make it crystal clear from the start. No-one can criticise you for it because you've volunteered to do this extra work! If they're not happy with your scope, well then are they prepared to do it themselves? Thought not. Say that you are doing this work because you believe in it or it serves a purpose, but that is all you will do.