What the Experts Say According to Annie McKee, author of How to Be Happy at Work, “There is nothing worse than feeling unseen and unheard in the workplace.” “Everyone wants to feel valued for their work, so when your coworkers don’t notice [your contributions], it makes you feel like you don’t belong,” says the author. You might also begin to worry about your potential for career advancement, which is understandable. “Self-doubt starts to creep in, and you think, ‘If no one notices what I’m doing, how am I going to get ahead?'” Karen Dillon, author of the HBR Guide to Office Politics, explains that you are not helpless to change the situation. There are numerous ways to ensure that others comprehend and support what you do. The secret, according to her, is to discover “diplomatic ways to brag about yourself. ” Here are some ideas.
Be reasonable Prior to taking any action, consider whether the level of gratitude “you expect from your boss, colleagues, peers, and clients” is reasonable. McKee “People are very busy. The feedback might not be as extensive as you would like, but it might still be reasonable given the circumstances of your company. “You are dealing with human beings,” adds Dillon. “Despite their best efforts, your coworkers and manager may fail to notice what you do or take you for granted.” She advises performing a “personal litmus test” on your most recent accomplishments when you’re feeling undervalued. If you’re unsure, get a second opinion from a “slightly senior colleague” or a peer you “deeply respect.” Ask yourself, “Was my work extraordinary? Was it over and above what my peers typically do? And importantly, “If I had to ask for credit for it, would I sound like a jerk?” ”.
Speak with your boss, advises McKee, if your above-average efforts are going unnoticed. Granted, this will be easier with some managers than others. According to McKee, “the typical boss doesn’t pay attention to human needs.” If yours does, remember that you “aren’t going to change that person, but you can signal that you’d like more dialogue on your performance,” she advises. Additionally, if your boss is good to average, he might answer the call. ” Of course, you must be subtle. “Don’t go in saying, ‘I want more appreciation. McKee suggests changing this to something like, “I’d like to talk about the past three months and get a sense of where my strengths lie and where I could learn. ” Come prepared with specific examples, advises Dillon. She suggests making a list of your most recent accomplishments to remind your manager of your excellent work. “Most managers are happy to have that list,” she says.
Boost your team’s visibility According to Dillon, if you are in charge of a team, you should look for ways to explain to others what the group does and why it is important. Your boss and coworkers “might not be aware of” the specifics of your job due to our busy daily lives To talk about your team’s activities, objectives, and efforts to improve, she suggests asking your manager for a brief period of time. McKee offers additional, more subtle suggestions for highlighting the team’s ongoing efforts. Never distribute presentations or reports without clearly identifying who created them. Make sure that everyone’s name is on the finished product, she advises. You want other people than just your manager to see the results your team is producing. Make sure to spread, not hoard, credit when it’s due. But don’t be afraid to tout your own leadership. Dillon says, “There are times when in trying to be inclusive and not sound self-aggrandizing, you miss an opportunity.” Women tend to do this more than men, she notes. Use of the pronoun “I” in the sense of “I accomplished X and Y, and I am appreciative of the support that I had” is acceptable. ’”.
Recognize others’ contributions Praise and appreciation of others is “paradoxically” a surefire way to get your own work noticed, according to McKee In your company’s culture, “you can be the agent of change by being the one who notices a job well done” The majority of the time, she continues, “the other person will respond by returning the favor.” If your boss is not one to provide constructive criticism, encourage optimism on your team by asking them what they can do to support one another. “What we produce becomes passé or invisible fast because of the pace of our organizations,” says McKee. She advises establishing team norms so that when a colleague completes a task or makes a significant contribution, “everyone pauses for a nanosecond and says, ‘Yay,'” ’” But don’t get carried away, cautions Dillon. “Sending extensive thank-yous can diminish the message,” she says. “Use your judgment. Ask, ‘Who really deserves acknowledgement for going the extra mile?’”.
Validate yourself Although receiving praise and value for your work is wonderful, Dillon argues that you shouldn’t rely solely on such things for your motivation. Intrinsic motivators are much more powerful. You should make an effort to find significance in the work itself. ” McKee concurs. You want to eventually get away from the need for external validation over the course of your working life, she says. “Real fulfillment comes from within. She advises making an effort to regularly give yourself a pat on the back. Try to set aside some time at the end of each week to consider what worked and what didn’t. This is a helpful exercise for recalling both your strengths and the motivations behind your actions. Be careful not to fall into a mode of deficiency where you focus on everything you did incorrectly, she advises. “Catalog the wins. ”.
If your company continues to make you feel underappreciated and undervalued, you might want to think about leaving because it’s not the right place for you. We all continue to work in less-than-ideal positions for a variety of reasons, claims McKee. You might be unable to relocate because you need to be in a specific area for your spouse or partner, or you might need the experience. However, if you’ve tried to make the job more fulfilling and validating but nothing has worked, it may be time to look for another one.
Case Study #1: Help shift your organization’s culture by praising others Sally Srok vividly remembers feeling unappreciated at work. She oversaw the Francis Ford Coppola Winery’s hospitality division at that time. Sally and her team were now led by new senior management because her previous supervisor had left the company. Furthermore, the business recently shut down its home office and its combined locations.
But beyond the hospitality group, nothing had changed. Other departmental employees of Sally felt undervalued and ignored. “I realized the dilemma was systemic. I pondered, ‘How could we make it simpler to express gratitude to one another at work?'” Sally talked with her boss, and the two of them discussed potential solutions. The outcome was the introduction of “Grazie” cards, which staff members can use to express gratitude to one another. “People were thrilled to give and receive them,” says Sally. “When I stopped thinking about myself and focused on changing the culture, gratitude began to flow.” ”.
She worked incredibly hard because she loved her job and her main client, Levi Strauss. However, she found it challenging to stand out from her peers and frequently felt that her efforts went unappreciated. Although she recalls working “extra hours” to create new ideas and programs for her client, “the work was getting lost in the sea of projects already in flight.” “I was having trouble figuring out how to increase the visibility of my work so that people would value it more,” ”.
After some thought, Anna discovers that many young women prefer to wait for approval rather than seeking it. “I think we’re taught to be demure, either implicitly or explicitly,” she claims. “Showcasing your work is like running an internal PR campaign. While you don’t want to brag, you also don’t want to disappear. ”.
To help the business better display its newest products on the front aisle of stores, Anna created a brief, 15-minute summary of all the work she had done. This highlighted not only her efforts but those of the designers at Levi Strauss, who had recently added new finishes and fits and “were seeking a way to get their work noticed too. ”.
She currently serves as Chairish’s co-founder and CMO, an online marketplace for vintage furnishings, art, and decor. She sends a personalized, “good, old-fashioned,” thank-you note to one of her team members every Monday at 2 p.m. “I believe people feel most valued by recognition,” she says. “Money, promotions, and other things are nice, but the most valuable thing is personal validation,” ”.
Why is it important to ask for support at work?
The following justifications highlight how crucial it is to request assistance from your coworkers:
Feeling your presence acknowledged
Your presence being acknowledged can let you know how well your coworkers think you performed. They might be more inclined to acknowledge your achievements and overall contributions to the company if you ask for their help. Realizing the importance of your work will help you approach your assignments with more enthusiasm because you will understand exactly how to lead the team to success. Think about asking your department to recognize employees who work particularly hard and show commitment to the organization’s mission more frequently.
Creating a pleasant work environment
Requesting and receiving support may increase your employee satisfaction. You can be eager to carry out your duties because you genuinely enjoy being an employee of the company. Think about requesting more assistance to help you feel at ease in the workplace. Your coworkers can learn more about you than just your job title and responsibilities, and they can learn how to communicate with you and listen to your viewpoints. The work environment can be more enjoyable when everyone on the team is supportive of the needs of their teammates.
Receiving clarification on assignments
Because working is a constant learning process, it can be beneficial if your coworkers encourage you as you develop new skills and complete your assignments. By seeking out more information, you’ll be able to better understand what your manager expects of you, which will improve the caliber of your work. In a positive work environment, managers are frequently available to answer questions and listen to employees’ concerns. When you need clarification on how to perform your role, take into account asking the managers in your organization to serve as a resource.
Being encouraged through work challenges
Even when faced with difficulties at work, having your supportive coworkers around can help you keep a positive outlook. Making a mistake on one of your tasks and taking part in a project that didn’t achieve your objectives are two examples of hardships. You can get reassurance that your future work performance as an employee will get better by asking for assistance.
You can get support from your teammates as you work to improve your skills and self-confidence. Even though things may not always go according to plan at work, having a source of support can help you persevere.
What can you do if you have no support at work?
A positive work environment encourages employees, offers practical assistance for taking part in projects, and formally acknowledges effort. Consider following these procedures to get the support you want if you feel your job isn’t providing enough of it:
Support yourself
Adopt techniques to deliver support independently. Your self-confidence can motivate you to succeed in your professional endeavors when you feel like you could use some extra positivity. You can always count on a reliable source of optimism. It can also support the external motivation provided by your coworkers. For instance, if your boss compliments you on how well you handled a task, the praise can only confirm a success that you have already acknowledged to yourself. Consider changing your thoughts and behavior for the better since they are things that you have control over.
Consider what motivates and uplifts you, then incorporate those strategies into your inner support system. For instance, you can tell yourself encouraging things to help you remember that you can get through challenges. Another choice is to treat yourself when you complete a project successfully or learn a new skill. By assessing your own performance and developing a more independent work style, you can improve your self-awareness and self-confidence. Although having sympathetic coworkers around you may be important, you can protect your interests by developing your own coping mechanisms regardless of the work environment.
Ask for support
An alternative is to express your desire for your coworkers and managers to provide you with more assurance. Prioritizing open communication in the workplace can increase awareness of the issue, which opens up possibilities for developing beneficial solutions. Your emotional needs as a professional might be different from those of the other workers in your department. Making a request for assistance can help you and your teammates encourage one another more specifically. Consider participating in open dialogue to deepen your work relationships. Do your best to explain how you and your peers can cooperate to create a space that fosters mental and emotional wellness.
How to ask for support
To ask your coworkers for assistance at work, follow these steps:
1. Perform a self-evaluation
Consider the kind of support that can help you as a first step. Consider your justifications for the request and the most effective ways to explain your requirements to your coworkers. You might also reflect on why your workplace hasn’t yet provided for these needs. Maybe there’s a staffing issue at your company, so your coworkers have been swamped with extra work until your manager brings on a new employee. Another factor might be that switching to remote work has made it harder to connect with your coworkers than it was when you worked together physically.
A self-evaluation also entails pondering your performance as an employee. Consider the contributions youve made to the organization recently. You can assess whether you’re making yourself accessible to receive the support at work. Consider times when you gave priority to working with your coworkers or meeting with your manager. Prior to requesting assistance from your coworkers, it can be beneficial to consider how you can contribute to the development of a more supportive organizational culture. If you want more advice, get ready to offer encouragement to others so that everyone feels heard.
2. Explore your options
The next step is to consider all of your options for getting the support or recognition you require. Before you ask someone else to help, look over alternative strategies to find a solution on your own. You can also find helpful resources to use the next time you run into a problem at work. For instance, a new instructor struggles to add content for online courses. The professor consults the school website and finds tutorials on creating online tests before approaching the department head for assistance. Now that she has found the assistance elsewhere, she is aware of where to look for assistance in the future.
You can confirm your feelings by considering your options, which will give you more confidence when requesting help. A social media coordinator, for instance, might launch a campaign that triples engagement, but his director might fail to recognize his accomplishments. Instead, the coordinator looks through the staff newsletter and discovers a formal acknowledgement of his campaign, giving him the praise he desired. Being diligent in creating your own solutions may be advantageous. You can be confident that you’ve done everything possible when you submit your request.
3. Specify your request
If you decide you need assistance, the third step is to state your needs clearly so that your colleagues can more easily provide for them. Describe how their support can inspire you to complete your tasks and overcome obstacles at work. You can also suggest ways they can assist you. Here are examples of specific requests for support:
Millions suffering from work stress with no support from employers
FAQ
What do you do when you have no support at work?
- Perform a self-evaluation. Consider the kind of support that can help you as a first step.
- Explore your options. The next step is to consider all of your options for getting the support or recognition you require.
- Specify your request.
How do you know you’re not valued at work?
One of the most blatant indications that you are not valued at work is a lack of support. If your employer wants you to advance, they’ll provide you with enough mentoring, education, and resources. A disinterested business won’t care to give you tools or skills if they don’t plan to develop you. They’ll keep their investments low instead.
How do you handle a boss that does not support you?
Address it diplomatically. Any relationship, including the one between a worker and their employer, benefits from open communication. As you have concerns, try to express them calmly. Request a time to speak, and position the conversation as a chance to improve your working relationship.
How do you tell your boss you don’t feel supported?
- Assess the overall culture. …
- Make a list of your contributions. …
- Ask to meet with your manager. …
- Express your concerns. …
- Provide solutions. …
- Seek your manager’s perspective. …
- Advocate for yourself during reviews. …
- Your salary isn’t competitive.
