Do You Feel Valued at Work?
Do you feel valued at work?
If not, you’re not alone. In fact, a recent survey by Workhuman reports that one-half of employees feel only somewhat valued or not valued at all by their employer.
Feeling unvalued hurts. You’re not excited to come to work when no one seems to care about the work you’re doing–why would you be?
This can trigger self doubt. “Maybe I’m not doing enough,” you start to think. “Should I even be at this table?” You might beat yourself up for “needing” to feel valued - your boss is busy and doesn’t have time for that stuff, stop worrying about it.
It’s a tailspin. And there are so many reasons why you might be feeling this way; how you’re interpreting things, how your boss is interpreting things…often you just don’t know why. But you know you feel bad, and that is something to address.
So what can you do? You can control you and your actions, and nothing else. Let go of worrying about the things you can’t control (as best as you can). Try these three things to remind yourself of your own value.
Make a list of your wins. What have you done that’s worked really well, or helped knock something out of the park? Keep a physical list of these things. Not only will it make you remember your awesomeness when you read over it, it helps you prepare for future job interviews when those “explain a situation when…” questions show up.
Keep an “Bold Move” folder, as Shanna Hocking, author of “One Bold Move a Day” suggests. Fill this folder up with every nice email or note someone has sent you. It’s a very lovely thing to review and it reminds you that your value is felt, if not by your current boss or workplace.
Invest in coaching or other professional development. A coach can help you identify why you’re feeling unvalued, and together you can work towards some tactics to get to a place where you’re feeling better. There are also many books, podcasts, trainings, etc. that can help you find your own ways of boosting confidence and discerning your own value (I’m a fan of Daring Greatly by Brene Brown and The Body Is Not An Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor).
But above all, be kind to yourself. It’s easy to think you’re the problem. You’re not. You’re in a situation that isn’t working for you, and reminding yourself of why you should be valued will help you get to a place, either in your current workplace or elsewhere, where you feel valued.
And if you’re interested in coaching, schedule a free introductory session with me, I love to help my clients remember and honor their value!
