UNITED STATES─There are some of us as workers who go above and beyond to complete or do our jobs. For some of us it’s more than a paycheck, but the question has always lingered in my head: why? Why are some people so company loyal that it hurts them more than it helps them? I seriously wish I had the answer to that question, but America I don’t. I have however, learned from speaking to a ton of people in management that it is sometimes the most stressful, most unappreciated and demeaning jobs at times.

People don’t always respect you, they don’t understand the method to your madness, and sometimes you feel unappreciated. It all culminates with the realization that you are so loyal to the company that you work for that you will bend over backwards to ensure things are done, even at times when it means you do not get paid for it. Does it suck? Without a doubt, but at the same time it becomes an important lesson: you only give what you receive.

It has taken me a very long time to realize that, but it has hit me: STOP IT! I need to stop going above and beyond for a company who doesn’t respect what you do because it creates stress. Gosh, the stress is not just bad for my health; it’s bad because it causes my eczema to flare up. The constant phone calls, the text messages, the emails, just the pressure to do things that others fail to acknowledge or even consider. I’m over it, I’ve reached my limit and I will not destroy my body or mind attempting to ensure all the puzzle pieces are properly in place all the time.

I’m not receiving a bonus for my hard work; I’m not receiving perks that go beyond what I would normally receive. Heck, if I wasn’t delivering the consistent, exceptional work I’ve done week after week, month after month, year after year, I don’t know where the company would stand. I don’t need someone to acknowledge my hard work that is not what I’m asking for here. What matters most to me is not dismissing it as if it’s not important. That annoys me more than anything because it’s like you don’t see what I do. I think that happens so often with many corporations, who don’t realize vital assets to the company until those individuals are no longer with the company.

It’s like the company doesn’t realize an asset they have until the asset has moved onto bigger and better things. I’m a firm believer that when you close certain doors in your life or career, there is a reason you closed that door. That chapter is over, you’ve reached your fullest potential, there is nothing more you can give or most important of all, you just weren’t happy. So many of us stay with a job simply for a check, but sometimes you have to open the horizon to see there might be something else out there you never expected, but you don’t realize it until you open the floodgates to that opportunity.

Being company loyal only benefits you when you’re in the driver seat of the company, if you’re not, it hurts you sometimes to go above and beyond because when you get too frustrated you lash out and before you know it the truth about how you truly feel comes to light. You were too loyal to a company that was never loyal to you.

Written By Zoe Mitchell