Being dependable at work should be a good thing.
Unfortunately, when people start leaning on you a little too much, or only come to you when they want something done right, that reliability can quietly turn into exploitation. You might not even realise it’s happening at first, because it’s painted as trust or praise. However, if you’re constantly the go-to person while everyone else gets away with doing the bare minimum, it might be time to ask whether you’re being valued or just used. Here are 12 red flags to look out for.
1. You’re constantly “volunteered” without being asked.
If people keep offering up your time or skills without checking in with you first, that’s a problem. Whether it’s a team lead assigning you something behind your back or a colleague saying, “Oh, they’ll sort it,” it shows they see you as a guaranteed yes, not a person with limits. It’s especially frustrating when no one asks if you actually have the time. Being reliable doesn’t mean being endlessly available, and if your consent keeps getting skipped, that’s not trust. It’s entitlement.
2. You’re the backup plan every single time.
Whenever something falls through, you’re the one who gets asked to fix it, even if it had nothing to do with you in the first place. It’s like people assume you’ll always pick up the slack because you care too much to let things fall apart. It might seem flattering at first, but over time it becomes clear they’re relying on your sense of responsibility more than your actual job role. And if you’re always catching what other people drop, you’ll never get space to grow into anything new.
3. Your boundaries are treated like suggestions.
You’ve said you don’t answer emails after a certain time. You’ve made it clear that you’re not taking on extra work this week. But somehow, those boundaries keep getting ignored, or worse, guilt-tripped. If people respect your work but not your limits, they’re not actually respecting you. Consistency shouldn’t come at the cost of your peace, and reliability doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to say no.
4. You’re always praised, but never promoted.
It’s nice to be recognised, but if all the compliments in the world never lead to a raise, new title, or real progression, something’s off. Sometimes employers talk you up just enough to keep you in place, especially if you’re the one holding everything together. If they keep saying how much they “appreciate” you but never back it up with anything tangible, they may just be trying to keep you sweet while squeezing every drop out of you.
5. You’re doing other people’s jobs for them.
It starts small: a favour here, a task there. But suddenly, you’re doing full portions of someone else’s job while they coast through the week untouched. You might not even realise it until you stop and look at your to-do list. If your workload is growing because other people know you’ll handle it, that’s not a badge of honour; it’s a boundary issue. Being helpful shouldn’t mean covering for people who consistently don’t show up.
6. People come to you only when they’re in trouble.
When things go wrong, everyone suddenly knows your name. But during normal workdays or quieter moments? Crickets. That’s a clear sign that you’re not being treated as part of the team. Instead, you’re being kept in their back pocket for emergencies. It’s draining to be everyone’s problem solver without ever being part of the solution-planning. If you only get pulled in when things are on fire, they don’t see you as a collaborator; they see you as a safety net.
7. Your reliability is used as an excuse to overload you.
“You’re just so good at this” can sometimes be code for “We know you won’t complain.” If your skill and consistency are being used to justify piling more on you than anyone else, it’s not a compliment—it’s exploitation dressed up as praise. It’s easy to feel guilty for pushing back, especially if you’re the one who keeps things running smoothly. Of course, being good at your job doesn’t mean you’re supposed to carry three of them at once.
8. Everyone else gets away with doing the bare minimum.
When you look around and see other people dropping the ball without consequence, while your plate gets fuller by the week, it’s a red flag. If reliability was truly valued across the board, everyone would be held to the same standard you are. The double standard often becomes obvious in who gets disciplined and who gets the benefit of the doubt. If people only get serious when you mess up, but laugh it off when other people do, that tells you everything you need to know.
9. You feel guilty for taking time off.
Everyone deserves rest. But when you’re treated as the person who always keeps things moving, the thought of taking a day off might start to feel selfish, or like you’re letting the team down. If your absence causes panic or resentment instead of being planned for like anyone else’s, you’re being relied on in an unhealthy way. A strong team adjusts. If the whole system falls apart when you’re gone, the problem isn’t your holiday, it’s their dependence.
10. You’re expected to fix problems you didn’t cause.
It’s frustrating when you’re pulled into messes that were created by someone else, especially if you had no say in the decision-making that led there. However, because you’re reliable, people assume you’ll clean it up anyway. This kind of expectation turns you into a buffer between poor management and actual accountability. Instead of getting to focus on your own work, you’re constantly in damage control, often without recognition or support.
11. Your quiet competence gets overlooked.
You do your job well, consistently, and without drama, but that steadiness often gets ignored in favour of flashier, louder colleagues. People notice crises more than calm, and sometimes that means the person keeping everything stable is taken for granted. Just because you’re not shouting about your achievements doesn’t mean they don’t matter. If your contributions are invisible unless things go wrong, you’re not being respected. You’re being used as infrastructure.
12. You’re burning out, but people still expect more.
You’ve dropped hints, pulled late nights, and kept everything running. But instead of getting support, you’re asked to “just hang in there” a little longer, or told how “strong” you are. Meanwhile, nothing changes. When your well-being is ignored in favour of keeping things afloat, that’s a huge red flag. If the people around you only value what you can produce, and not how you’re actually doing, it’s time to ask who this reliability is really serving.
