Stewarding Organizational Citizenship: Why “Going Above and Beyond” Can’t Be the Baseline

If your best people are tired, this is why.

We love the employees who go above and beyond. Of course we do. The ones who step in without being asked, help teammates who are drowning, stay late when something needs to get done and genuinely care about the organization’s success.

And so, before long it becomes an expectation. When discretionary effort quietly turns into an unspoken job requirement, the very people leaders rely on most begin to burn out.

Organizational citizenship was never meant to be unpaid overtime, invisible emotional labour or the silent price of being seen as committed. Yet in many workplaces, that’s exactly what it has become.

And when your best people are tired, it’s worth paying attention.

What is organizational citizenship, exactly?

Organizational citizenship refers to the voluntary, extra-role behaviours employees choose to do that aren’t written into their job description but help the workplace function better, like:

• Helping a colleague who’s overwhelmed

• Pitching in during a busy stretch

• Sharing knowledge

• Being flexible when things change

• Speaking positively about the organization

The key word here is voluntary. Organizational citizenship isn’t something you confirm in a job posting or mandate through performance reviews. It shows up when people care. And people tend to care when they feel supported, respected and psychologically safe.

When “going above and beyond” becomes the baseline

Here’s where things go sideways.

In unhealthy cultures, organizational citizenship slowly stops being seen as a gift and starts being treated like a guarantee. Extra effort becomes assumed. Flexibility becomes one-sided. The same reliable people are always asked to step up because they always do.

Over time, this leads to:

• Burnout among high performers

• Resentment that often goes unspoken

• Quiet quitting framed as a motivation issue instead of a capacity issue

• A widening gap between effort and recognition

Ironically, organizations chasing engagement and performance end up eroding the very conditions that make discretionary effort possible.

Organizational citizenship needs stewardship, not pressure

This is where leaders and organizations have real influence. Organizational citizenship can’t be demanded but it can be stewarded.

Stewardship implies care, responsibility and sustainability. It means protecting something valuable rather than extracting as much as possible from it. Leaders who act as stewards of organizational citizenship understand that discretionary effort has limits and that goodwill, once depleted, is hard to rebuild.

Being a steward doesn’t mean encouraging people to do more. It means creating the conditions where people want to contribute and feel safe pulling back when they need to.

How leaders can be stewards of organizational citizenship

Here are a few start small strategies that make a big difference:

Name it instead of normalizing it

When someone goes above and beyond, acknowledge it explicitly. Don’t let extra effort quietly become the new expectation.

Watch who is always stepping up

If the same people are mentoring, helping, fixing and absorbing pressure, organizational citizenship is being unevenly taxed.

Normalize boundaries

Saying no, sticking to role boundaries or protecting personal time does not equal disengagement. Leaders need to say this out loud.

Recognize effort, not just outcomes

Discretionary effort deserves recognition even when it doesn’t lead to an immediate win or visible result.

Model boundaries and recovery

Leaders who never rest teach others they shouldn’t either. Sustainable performance requires visible permission to slow down.

Intervene before exhaustion becomes identity

Being “the reliable one” should not come at the cost of someone’s health or wellbeing.

Why this matters more than ever

Organizations with strong organizational citizenship don’t have people who are constantly doing more. They have people who care deeply and are supported enough to sustain that care.

When organizational citizenship is stewarded well:

• Discretionary effort increases organically

• Engagement feels genuine rather than performative

• Performance improves because energy isn’t depleted

• Retention strengthens because people don’t feel taken for granted

When it’s mismanaged, burnout becomes a culture issue, not an individual failing.

A final reflection for leaders

If your strongest contributors are tired, it’s worth asking:

• Whose extra effort has become assumed?

• Where have we confused commitment with overextension?

• What would it look like to protect capacity instead of relying on it?

  
  

Organizational citizenship is a powerful indicator of workplace health. The goal isn’t to squeeze more out of people. It’s to steward the conditions that allow people to give willingly, sustainably and without harm.

Remember: when people feel cared for, they don’t just show up. They show up as their very best selves.

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Elizabeth Eldridge is a Psychological Health & Safety Consultant based in southern New Brunswick, Canada. In addition to keynote speaking and corporate training on mental health in the workplace, she supports organizations across the country on the adoption of Canada's best practice guidelines on psychological health and safety management. She is the Founder & President of Arpeggio Health Services which provides standardized education programs like Mental Health First Aid, The Working Mind, QPR Suicide Prevention and more.

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