For some workers, compiling a weekly progress report is a routine part of their job, and forgetting to do it usually carries little or no consequences.
However, the ramifications can be more severe for others – as many US federal employees found out when they received an email instructing them to submit their weekly accomplishments or face having to quit. Elon Musk, who leads the White House’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), warned on X: “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”
While the latest move by the Trump administration to curtail government spending through funding cuts and firings may not apply to everyone, the situation does highlight the potential pitfalls of employers asking staff to compile a list of what they've done over a certain period.
Summarising accomplishments in the workplace can lead to issues such as heightened stress and an increase in performative work in a bid to look busy, instead of carrying out more meaningful chores, warns John Beck, a lawyer and founding partner at Beck & Beck Missouri Lawyers.
“When you force workers to justify their jobs on a weekly basis with the threat of resignation, you create an environment where actual productivity takes a backseat to survival. The outcomes are rarely positive,” says Beck.
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“It forces employees into a defensive mindset. Instead of focusing on meaningful work, they start thinking about how to protect themselves, leading to unnecessary documentation, redundant reports, and wasted time.”
It’s likely workers will prioritise engaging in performative work, where workers give the appearance of productivity rather than delivering actual results. “When people know they’re being judged based on what they can prove in writing every week, they will focus on tasks that look good on paper rather than those that actually matter,” Beck adds.
Another issue is that it can be difficult to convert qualitative tasks into quantifiable achievements. Workers are under increasing pressure to ‘be productive’, but it can be difficult to quantify what counts – and what should be included on a formal list.
“This issue of forcing workers to list achievements comes back to our inability to clearly articulate what we mean by productivity for those working in an office,” says Jenni Field, a leadership expert and founder and CEO of Redefining Communications.
“While that remains a challenge, there is a more practical issue here and that is giving employees objectives, having regular conversations about how those objectives are progressing and dealing with any challenges along the way,” adds Field. “How can we expect people to list achievements if there has been no conversation about what success looks like?”
While some workers may find it easy to list what they’ve done in a week, for others, it isn’t so straightforward. Those with intangible contributions – who often handle ongoing work that doesn’t fit neatly into a weekly progress report – may struggle to create such a report.
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“Subjective interpretability makes this worse – what one manager sees as essential, another may dismiss as trivial,” says Beck. “Different managers will interpret these reports differently, leading to unfair treatment and arbitrary decisions. For example, I’ve had clients penalised for ‘not producing enough’ despite handling critical behind-the-scenes work that kept entire operations running.”
Many companies require workers to outline their achievements and, usually, this is for the purposes of a performance review. According to David Rice, a HR expert at People Managing People, it is a fairly standard practice at a lot of companies.
“It's just something for managers to engage employees around and ensure they're working on the right things and provide feedback,” he says. “This is obviously a far more extreme and toxic version of that, which will feel threatening and ‘micromanage-y’ and thus create a lot of stress, job insecurity, and people lying about what they're doing.”
Is there a better alternative to forced accomplishment lists? Instead of pressuring employees to list their weekly achievements, employers should focus on creating a supportive and collaborative atmosphere that emphasises ongoing feedback and recognition.
“Regular check-ins and feedback are a much more effective approach,” says Rice. One-on-one sessions allow employees to share progress, seek guidance, and celebrate successes.
Leaders should prioritise overall performance and long-term objectives, rather than tracking weekly output. A happier, more relaxed employee is more likely to be engaged, motivated, and feel valued without the fear of punitive consequences.
And if you're asked to list your achievements, highlight tasks that demonstrate impact, such as completed projects, problem-solving, or progress towards goals. If expectations are unclear, don’t panic – ask for guidance on how best to present your accomplishments in line with team or company goals.
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