KEY POINTS:
In every office there are some people who go the extra mile.
Their efforts help things run smoothly and often take the burden from colleagues' shoulders in terms of working late, taking work home and travelling on their own time.
Why do people do it? Dr Giles Burch, University of Auckland senior lecturer in human resource management, says work effort is all about motivation and reward.
Some workers love their job and get an intrinsic reward from what they are doing. But people also make a choice. For instance, flying to another city on your own time the night before a meeting could be motivated by the need to be prepared and organised, Burch says.
For these people, the reward for using their own time is to avoid stress.
People also do it because they want to be seen as being keen and motivated or they actually love the travel part of their role.
Often there can be more Machiavellian reasons. "If I am seen to be committed and putting in the time there may not be an immediate pay-off, but there may be a longer-term reward," Burch says.
"We reward people who are productive and, at the end of the day, productivity means putting in the hours."
Work/life balance may be fashionable in the workplace, but staff are not rewarded for being at home, he says.
Some people fear that taking time in lieu is perceived badly by their manager. Or they worry that not being on the job all the time will lead to missed opportunities.
Literature in organisational behaviour describes "the good soldier syndrome" which focuses on citizenship behaviour and performance at work and the fact that some people are prepared to go beyond the call of duty.
These workers are generally committed, hard-working and want to do well. They are also agreeable and like to help people.
Good soldiers genuinely work longer and harder because they like what they are doing.
The less "authentic" side of putting in additional hours involves workers who may have an agenda about getting promoted. They are thinking of the long-term gain and have a more Machiavellian motive, Burch says.
Of course, it's tricky to spot the difference.
General personality profiling can find links in people's personality that determine whether someone is likely to be a good soldier or demonstrate what he refers to as citizenship performance. Behavioural event interviews can also highlight good soldier personality traits. An unauthentic "good soldier" with a high IQ can hide their darker side, but only for a limited time, Burch says. An employer's initial perception may be that the person is great for the organisation. "Within weeks things leak out and you start to see people's true colours," Burch says.
He believes motivation is hard-wired in the brain. "There are two basic mechanisms in the brain that influence a person's motivation to get rewards or to avoid punishment."
Someone could be going the extra mile as they are driven to receive rewards. This is known as the behavioural approach system and it motivates people to get what they want. Alternatively, the behavioural inhibition system leads people to inhibit their behaviour to protect themselves.
While some workers are prepared to challenge and question long hours and ask for leave, others tolerate such a work environment to reduce personal anxiety. Employers may want staff to go beyond the call of duty, but not in a way that is detrimental to their health.
"There's a responsibility for any employer to step in if people are doing too much," Burch says.
"There are some people who just love doing things. People you like to have around the office.
"But at the same time, a manager may depend and rely on the good soldiers, but they should not take advantage of them.
"This is where organisations need to have a clear policy on their expectations for work hours. It is important in managing individuals and their expectations," Burch says.
