Feeling Unappreciated at Work? 4 Helpful Ways to Address It

Shagun has been a part of the system for the past eleven months and putting a lot of effort into driving her initiatives forward. She is a go-to person for everyone and one of the most well-liked members of the content marketing team. But over the last few days, she appears to be lacking enthusiasm and not taking the initiative in many cases. There have been a few occasions when she approached particular tasks with energy and excitement, pulling things together brilliantly in order to complete them, but the project heads gave her no appreciation at all. A lot of people, including her reporting manager, noticed this. You are not alone if you are experiencing difficulties and feeling undervalued at work. Read on to learn how Shagun’s manager handled her concern about feeling unappreciated at work and how he assisted in bringing her positive attitude back to work.

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1. Set Realistic Expectations

Shagun’s reporting manager, Abhay, advised her to be realistic in her expectations for recognition because team members may be preoccupied with work on other projects and unavailable when you are expecting a certain level of energetic response or appreciation even after noticing your success on a few things. Moreover, when it comes to getting your own work noticed at work, one of the best strategies is to acknowledge and value the efforts of others, he added. 

Before anticipating a specific level of appreciation, consider asking yourself a few questions. Was the work you did exceptional? Are the projects you are working on and the manner in which you are working exceeding the output of your teammates? Thinking about these kinds of questions will make things easier for you to understand. 

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2. Increase Your Visibility

It’s probably time to make more of your presence at work if you are distressed all the time about feeling underappreciated or undervalued. Talking about your team’s small victories and how their efforts are benefiting the company as a whole is important if you are in charge of a team. Additionally, it is important to inform others about the regular efforts your team is making to improve outcomes and push themselves further. 

Make sure that everyone on your team knows how much they are valued, at least from your end, and that their names are listed on any shared projects. Additionally, ensure that your boss, the management team, and the coworkers are aware of the efforts you and your team are putting forth. 

Abhay, further suggested that those who show initiative for their team and consistently support them are valued and viewed as superior leaders in comparison to those who don’t shoulder such responsibilities. 

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3. Stop Looking for a Validation and Reframe Your Negative Thoughts

Abhay tried to explain to Shagun that motivation to perform shouldn’t stem solely from receiving praise and recognition for the job one is performing. Finding purpose in your job and rewarding yourself and your team when you reach milestones are ultimately internal processes that should not be dependent on outside sources of inspiration. 

Reduce the amount of negative thoughts you think and transform them into affirmations that are positive. You can determine what’s working and what isn’t, as well as where there is room for improvement, by setting aside time at the end of each week to evaluate your work and make plans for the next one. 

In addition, many people don’t think about leaving a certain organization and don’t search for chances elsewhere for a number of reasons. It’s possible that they enjoy what they do, that they need more experience before moving on, or that they just do not want to leave a certain area. However, if an individual has made every effort to make their current job more satisfying and validating and nothing seems to be working and still feels unappreciated at work, then perhaps now is the right time to start searching for a better position. 

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4. Communicate with Your Manager If You’re Feeling Overwhelmed

It is important to speak to your manager when the feeling of being undervalued starts sprouting in your mind. It is important to communicate your fears in a transparent way to your manager. Talk about your performance, involvement, projects you led, tasks you accomplished successfully, and overall your journey of the last quarter, and try to find out whether your immediate reporting manager is aware of your accomplishments or not. 

Ask for any feedback, ideas, and corrective measures that can be done to move beyond the sense of being unappreciated at work, and feeling stuck. 

It will be wiser to approach your manager to talk about how you are feeling, how you are handling negative thoughts, and how it is impacting your work on a daily basis rather than believing that things will improve by letting them go and avoiding them for an extended period of time. 

Also Read: How to Find a Mentor at Workplace?

Conclusion

Following her extensive conversation with Abhay, Shagun realized that a person’s attitude and approach to handling projects, situations, people, and disagreements at work are crucial factors. People don’t always receive the responses and feedback they have wished for and sometimes feel unappreciated at work, but it shouldn’t discourage you from pursuing your passions or make you feel overwhelmed.

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