I had and have a similar situation. I don't feel like I work particularly hard and yet I also won employee of the year. It was weird because I thought I was just doing, you know, normal work. So the first thing I did was get a pay rise. I took a whole other person's job on top of my own and I used that to get more money. If they want me to do the work of two people, they can damn well pay for it. Failing that, never forget that you have the ability to say no. If you are too busy or just too busy for hams, you are not obliged to do their crap for them. You have your own workload to manage and that comes first. Managers, mine at least, are understanding when I tell them that I cannot handle this extra task. They certainly prefer that over taking it on and then failing to do it. But more to the point, your EotM reputation gives you the leverage to do that. A hard worker such as yourself wouldn't lie and they should want to take care of their best staff member. Find that balance of being a good employee while also standing up for yourself when it counts.