3 Alarming Ways Companies Manipulate Insecure Overachievers

3 Alarming Ways Companies Manipulate Insecure Overachievers High-level professionals typically take pride in their work ethic, seeking to prove to their clients, their bosses, and their coworkers that theyre ready to go the extra mile to find success. This can help them advance in their careers and can also manifest in overtime hours, extra projects, and a willingness to shift ones social calendar to better accommodate work-related situations.Employees who exhibit this drive are generally considered a hot commodity. Unfortunately, that can hold especially true for predatory companies, who take advantage of the underlying insecurities that result in overworked, stressed, and ultimately unhappy workers. If youre an achiever with a tendency to underestimate your own skills, keep an eye out for behauptung three warning signs shared by unscrupulous companies.1.Some companies specifically seek out job candidates with imposter syndrome.According to a recent study conducted by Laura Empson of the , certain companies orient their recruitment policies to attract a very particular schriftart of candidate. Specifically, theyre looking for insecure overachievers, or individuals who are exceptionally capable and fiercely ambitious, yet driven by a profound sense of their own inadequacy.Candidates with imposter syndrome, or a sense of self-doubt propelled by a fear that their successes are undeserved (and that those around them will soon discover that they arent as talented/smart/capable as they present), appeal to these companies because they are entirely self-motivating and self-disciplining, explains Empson. Workplaces that operate this way rely on their employees ingrained lack of self esteem to propel their achievement standards, which can prove valuable to the company in the short term.2. By upping the pressure on employees with no concern for burn-out, some companies attract excellent short-term workers, but dont invest in their long-term retention.When interviewing s ources for her Harvard Business Review study, Empson received the following response from a recruiter explaining his interest in insecure overachievers My theory is that the best client relationship builders in our firm are insecure. They are so hell-bent on making their clients feel good about them that they work overtime. Clients feel their passion and respond to that.Companies that consider an employees feelings of inadequacy a positive attribute will continue escalating the pressures and expectations, since theyre far mora concerned with meeting short-term goals than with retaining long-term staffers. In these situations, employees generally follow one of two paths. They either leave the company prematurely as a reaction to poorly-addressed burn-out...or they decide to normalize their workplace dysfunction, which becomes easier when the overall company culture supports chronic overworking.3. Companies that manipulate achievers encourage the creation of workplace environments fue led by control and competition.If youre working in an environment characterized by stress, intense pressure, and long hours, it probably didnt get that way by accident. In fact, some businesses deliberately encourage a company culture that rewards unhealthy time-management habits and frowns upon the notion of proper work-life balance.Empson discovered the following during her study The tendency to hard work is reinforced by the strong culture of social control created by elite professional organizations. On the one hand, this is comforting. Some professionals I have studied refer to their firms as being like a family, or something even more intense. As one consultant described it, When I first came here, I thought, This place feels like a cult. But now I have been here a while, I think it is great. Taken to extremes, the insecure overachievers sense of commitment can lead to extreme conformity and the normalization of unhealthy behaviors.Empson points out that many insecure overachi evers caught in these toxic work environments avoid placing the blame on their employers, instead convincing themselves that they have autonomy and are working overtime of their own volition. While that may technically be true, these companies create a vicious cycle wherein early-career workers accept the pressures applied by their bosses, and when they themselves rise into leadership roles, they continue to apply these unfair standards to their own junior workers.Empson urges insecure overachievers to carefully scrutinize their workplaces and to remember the following If you are a leader, you have a responsibility not just to your firm but to the people who work within it. Help your colleagues to achieve their full potential, but do not allow yourself to exacerbate and exploit their insecurities. And remember that your ultimate duty of care is to yourself.