You don’t lose your best people overnight.
It starts small.
When you ask them to clean up after your poor performer’s mess.
"Reward” them with more work because they’re “the only ones who can.”
Then load them up again because they’re “so reliable.”
When they extend help out of malasakit, you shut them down because “they’re overstepping.”
Yet you volunteer them to support all employees, 300 strong. Because “the organization is thin,” forgetting that they are the only SME in the whole company. 300:1 is not fair.
You start tweaking definitions, telling them that marketing services such as event management are part of their job. Including escorting other executives, despite them having their own technical aides and secretaries.
You stretch them thin for out-of-scope work, but never fight for their raise, bonus, or promotion.
You justify their silent patience with “next cycle.”
Or you do give them an increase, but only by 5%, despite the workload increasing by 50% year on year — literally doing half the work of another headcount (the poor performer).
You call it “budget constraints” instead of admitting they deserve better.
You gaslight them to be “grateful.”
That’s BS.
Your best people will take it, for a while.
Because great employees don’t quit easily.
But one day, they’ll realize their care isn’t being reciprocated.
When that day comes, they won’t make noise.
They’ll stay professional, smile in meetings, and hit their deadlines.
Until one day, they won’t.
Because burnout doesn’t scream. It fades quietly.
Take them for granted, and you’ll lose the ones who carry your team’s weight.
The ones doing the actual heavy lifting.
Handling departmental head tasks, for you.
Leading those meetings that you don't have the business acumen in, may it be about stakeholder management, sustainability reporting, risk management, or data privacy.
Be grateful. They are the reason you can sleep well at night.
Their agility is the reason you can scroll through social media during office hours.
Their malasakit, free OT, and crisis-management instincts are the reasons you can enjoy weeknights and weekends.
Their dependability is why you can go on leave for weeks without worry.
Ever notice how when they go on PTO, you suddenly have more meetings? you suddenly feel "tired."
That’s because they’re the ones actually doing the work while you go volunteering then credit-grabbing.
At least, compensate properly.
Value them genuinely.
“Proud of the team,” “Good job,” and “Thank you” are not enough.
Those cannot feed mouths.
Because if you don’t,
they’ll start building a life where they’re valued.