Managers keep giving extra work to employees who love the job — until they quit

Most managers hand extra assignments to employees who enjoy the job the most. But uneven workloads push enthusiastic performers toward resigning

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Two researchers wanted to know what happens when a manager needs an employee to handle work that wasn't theirs to begin with. Maybe a colleague is out sick, or an angry client needs extra care, and the team needs backup.

One of 63 managers who took part in a recent Organization Science study simply needed one of her finance employees to take notes at her team's most important weekly meeting. She knew two people who could do it well and "don't appear to mind." One in particular had a reputation for helping out. "I tend to select him," she said, "if no one else seems interested."

The formal research that followed was far larger. Lead researchers Sangah Bae of Northeastern University and Kaitlin Woolley of........

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