Stop being a martyr (from a former martyr)

A colleague of mine, who I respect enormously, has been complaining for a year about all the work she gets assigned. She has a work ethic to die for. The girl takes stuff home on the weekends and edits copy late at night. The fine line between obligation and personal life is blurry to say the least.

Today she was ranting about having too much to do. For a moment she looked like she was going to cry. I was suddenly transported back to the worst period of my life, my second job out of college. I was an AE at an entertainment PR and marketing company. I will withhold their name, but suffice it to say it should have been Serfdom and Associates. Absolutely everyone was overworked and abused. People got to the office at 7:30 AM and stayed til seven or eight o'clock at night. They rarely came out of their office except to go to the bathroom or run outside and chain smoke a pack of cigarettes. People never went out for lunch unless it was someone's birthday or a farewell lunch for someone who had finally had enough and resigned.

Rather than approach my supervisor about a more reasonable work load and hours, I suffered in silence. One day I actually rose at 5 in the morning, freaked out because I had too much to do, and showed up to work at 6:30 AM. Actually, I did that twice. I was misreable and tired but I sucked it up for a year and a half, thinking that by proving my work ethic, I would realize a promotion and the title of Kick Ass. Finally, after being assigned yet another account with no help, I had a full blown Martyr Breakdown, which pissed off my boss. She summarily let me go a week later.

My colleague's boss is a reasonable person and I am unsure why she won't push back or talk to him about amending her priorities. I realize she is probably not going to say anything and will suck it up until she reaches her breaking point, which is too bad. There is no great reward for being overloaded and underappreciated, even at a company that doesn't operate like a sweat shop. Take it from a former martyr!