The Passion Tax: Why Good Employees are Overworked

Intrinsic motivation—the drive to do work because you find it rewarding or enjoyable—is often seen as the "holy grail" of employee engagement. However, a study published in Organization Science reveals a paradoxical downside: the most motivated employees are often the ones targeted for the most extra work.

 

Understanding "Motive Oversimplification"

The research, which surveyed over 4,300 participants, identified a phenomenon called motive oversimplification. Managers tend to develop a naïve belief that because an employee enjoys their primary role, they will also enjoy additional tasks—even those that are unrelated or undesirable.

• The Burnout Blind Spot: Because managers assume these employees are "fuelled by passion," they perceive a much lower risk of burnout for them compared to extrinsically motivated staff.

• The Opportunity Cost: In one experiment, managers were more likely to assign extra work to an intrinsically motivated employee even when it directly prevented that employee from earning a $5 performance bonus.

Leadership Lessons for 2026

For managers and facilitators, the takeaway is to treat passion as a resource, not an infinite battery.

1. Capacity Audits: Don't assign work based on who will "enjoy it" the most; assign it based on who has the actual bandwidth.

2. Explicit Motive Check-ins: Just because someone is a high-performer doesn't mean they want more responsibility without corresponding rewards.

3. Protecting Your Talent: To retain your best people, you must proactively manage their workload to prevent the "passion tax" from turning into "passion burnout".