Written By Cari Borden

We’ve all heard it: “Work hard, and you’ll be rewarded.”
But if you’ve been in the workplace longer than five minutes, you know that’s a fairy tale more suited for motivational posters than real life.

The Illusion of Effort = Reward

Meritocracy is the belief that talent and effort are the main ingredients for success. Sounds fair, right? Except most workplaces aren’t a level playing field, they’re a maze of politics, favoritism, and invisible barriers that effort alone can’t overcome.

People who burn themselves out often end up watching others get promoted because of:

• Proximity to power – being in the right room at the right time matters more than late-night spreadsheets.
• Bias and favoritism – gender, age, race, or simply being someone’s “favorite” plays into decisions.
• Quiet politics – knowing who to align with often outweighs what you actually produce.

Why Hard Work Alone Isn’t Enough

Hard work without recognition isn’t noble, it’s exploitation. Employees are told to “hustle harder” while leadership rewards visibility, alignment, and the comfort of sameness. If meritocracy were real, performance reviews would mirror reality. Instead, they often mirror perception.

And here’s the kicker: organizations know effort doesn’t equal reward, but they keep selling the myth because it keeps employees grinding.

So What Does Work?

If you want to break the cycle, stop relying on the myth. Instead:

• Make your work visible – effort hidden in the shadows rarely gets recognized.
• Build influence, not just output – relationships carry as much weight as results.
• Align with strategy – if your work doesn’t tie to what leadership cares about, it won’t matter how great it is.
• Protect your energy – you don’t owe loyalty to a system that won’t return it.

Final Thought

Meritocracy is the bedtime story corporations tell to keep you working harder for less. Success in most workplaces isn’t about who deserves it—it’s about who learns to navigate the system without losing themselves in the process.

Stop waiting for effort alone to be enough. It won’t be. Write your own rules.