When Helping Hurts: How Citizenship Pressure Drains Energy and Lowers Performance

What is it about?

This study explores how employees’ perceived pressure to perform extra, “voluntary” tasks affects their job performance. Based on the conservation of resources framework, it examines how citizenship pressure—the feeling of having no real choice but to go beyond one’s formal duties—can deplete employees’ energy and focus. The study also considers two key factors: citizenship fatigue, which reflects the exhaustion caused by such demands, and continuance commitment, or employees’ sense of being tied to the organization because leaving would be costly. Using multisource, time-lagged data from employees and supervisors in Pakistan, the results show that citizenship pressure undermines job performance through citizenship fatigue. Employees who feel compelled to constantly help or take on extra work become drained, reducing their ability to perform core tasks effectively. Yet, those with high continuance commitment—who believe they have limited alternatives—are less affected. They tend to view extra-role expectations as opportunities to show loyalty rather than as burdensome obligations. For organizations, the findings stress the need to avoid excessive pressure for citizenship behavior. While helpfulness and initiative can be valuable, forcing them can lead to fatigue and lower performance. Managers should ensure that extra-role contributions remain genuinely voluntary and that employees receive adequate recognition and resources. Supporting employees who feel locked into their jobs can also help them convert such pressure into motivation rather than exhaustion.

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Photo by SEO Galaxy on Unsplash

Photo by SEO Galaxy on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This research is unique in uncovering citizenship fatigue as the mechanism through which pressure to be a “good citizen” undermines performance. It challenges the idea that more helping behavior always benefits organizations, showing that coerced cooperation can backfire. Furthermore, it highlights continuance commitment as a factor that changes how employees perceive and cope with such pressures. Its timeliness lies in addressing the realities of today’s workplaces, where employees are increasingly expected to go above and beyond. In Pakistan’s collectivistic and resource-limited contexts, these findings show how well-meaning expectations can unintentionally deplete employees’ energy—and how commitment can sometimes transform that pressure into perseverance rather than burnout.