He’s finally “cracking the code” and becoming a star employee.

You know my coworker, Phil? He’s a really nice guy, but… well, he’s just so different about this place.

The other day, our manager pulled him aside. You know how the manager is. He told Phil that his work speed was a little low, and that he needed to “show more hustle.”

Now, any of us would have just nodded and gone back to doing things the same way. But not Phil. He took it to heart. He actually believed the manager was giving him helpful, personal advice.

So now, he’s running. I mean, literally jogging between the shelves. He’s skipping his full break just to get a few more things done. He’s so proud of himself, thinking he’s finally “cracking the code” and becoming a star employee.

It just makes me sad to watch. He doesn’t get that the manager doesn’t care. He doesn’t see that the “speed goals” are just numbers on a screen that change whenever they feel like it. He’s working his fingers to the bone for a “good job” that will never come.

I tried to gently tell him to slow down, that he’s going to burn himself out. But he just smiled and said, “The boss noticed me! I just have to keep it up.”

He honestly thinks if he works hard enough, he’ll be rewarded. And the worst part is, I know how this ends. He’s going to be so disappointed. And I just have to stand here and watch it happen.