I Refuse to Let My Boss Punish Me for Doing Three People’s Work

Many professionals face overwhelming workloads after layoffs, often covering multiple roles at once. Long hours, stress, and unclear expectations can lead to burnout, frustration, and tension with managers, highlighting the challenges of workplace overload and employee wellbeing.

Letter for Bright Side:

Hey Bright Side,

I need a sanity check because this whole thing feels surreal. A few months ago, my company did layoffs. Three people from my team were cut. It sucked. Everyone was on edge. I kept my head down and just felt grateful I still had a paycheck.

Then my boss basically redistributed their work to me. At first I thought it was temporary. I can be a team player. I’m not heartless.

Except it wasn’t temporary. I went from a normal workload to juggling 40+ active projects.

I was working 60-hour weeks for two straight months. Skipping lunch. Logging in on Sundays. My wife was like, “Are you okay??” and I kept saying, “It’s just a busy season.”

I finally told my boss I was drowning. “Hey, I’m concerned about the volume and I don’t think I can sustain this without impacting quality.” She literally scoffed, and said, “You can sleep and rest at your desk, I don’t care. Stop whining. You’re lucky I don’t fire you, too.”

I just went silent, cos I figured there was no point. The thing is most people had around 10–15 projects. I had 30.

Then, about a month later, she pulled me aside to say she’d “noticed a decline in my quality.” I swear I felt my eyes twitch. I didn’t argue. Just said, “Thanks for the feedback.”

Fast forward to last week. Her boss (our department head) is reviewing workload distribution in a team meeting. He’s scrolling through the dashboard live on screen and when he saw my 30 active projects, he was like why he has 30 projects, when the max is 12???

I wish I could describe her face. She mumbled something about “transition periods” and “temporary redistribution.”

He didn’t look impressed. Since then she’s been weirdly quiet with me. No more snide comments about quality. No more micromanaging.

Part of me feels vindicated. Like, yeah, I wasn’t crazy. I wasn’t “underperforming.” I was doing the work of three people.

But another part of me is anxious. Did I just make myself a target? Do I keep my head down and let this play out? I don’t want to be dramatic, but this whole thing changed how I see her. The scoffing and the “declining quality” comments hit harder than I expected.

So, Bright Side, am I overthinking this? Was I naive to take on that much in the first place? And what would you do in my shoes?

Best,
J.

Hey, thanks so much for sharing your story, it really hits hard and makes a lot of sense. Hope this advices click and give you a bit of clarity moving forward.

• Document everything — Look, you’re already doing the work of three people. Start keeping a running log of projects, hours, deadlines, whatever shows the load you’re carrying. Not just for bosses, but for yourself. If it ever blows up, you have receipts. And honestly, seeing it on paper helps you stop feeling like you’re losing it.
• Keep your boss honest — Without being confrontational, check in regularly with your boss on priorities. “Hey, just to clarify, which of these 10 projects do you want me to tackle first?” It subtly forces them to acknowledge you can’t do everything at once without saying it bluntly.
• Trust your instincts — If your gut is screaming that this is toxic or unsustainable, don’t ignore it. You’ve proven you can handle insane workloads, but that doesn’t mean you should. Sometimes survival is knowing when to step back, not just push harder.

Even in high-pressure situations, employees can find ways to protect their wellbeing and grow stronger from the experience. Recognizing limits, prioritizing tasks, and seeking support can turn overwhelming workloads into opportunities for learning and resilience.

Read next: 11 Workplace Moments Where Quiet Kindness Changed Someone’s Life