You go to work happy. Do everything within your power to meet the end of your bargain – do your job!

And your boss or employer never deems it fit to acknowledge your hard work and input.

This is not to say that you are carrying out your job because you hope to be rewarded or praised. I think as humans we just want to feel appreciated.

We want someone to notice that we put in some time to make some achievements.

I get it.

You get it!

It’s okay if you ask me. Nothing bad in wanting to feel appreciated every once in a while. You don’t want to be seen as that somebody that probably does nothing!

It reminds me of a song I’ve always loved. The truth is I love so many songs especially if it’s pop. It’s – unappreciated by cherish, the American R&B, soul, and hip hop quartet consisting of sisters.

I’m not sure if they still sing these days as I’m yet to hear anything recent. If they do, please leave me a comment behind, they were one of my faves back in the days.

If this song was a hit for you too, please come over here and grab a seat! haha.

Anyway, while that may have been a song directed to a partner that seldom showed affection, you may as well envision your employer as your partner in this case!

I like to believe that everyone is in a relationship with their place of work, at least to an extent considering the fact that when you love your job you subconsciously make it a part of your routine.

And even if you don’t, most employees average around 7 hours per day at work and that’s a lot if you ask me. Even if your workplace isn’t an office type setting, you’d still spend a large amount of time working from that location.

It’s only normal that you’d want to feel valued for your effort, because once you begin to feel undermined at work, it’ll eventually take a toll on your behavior and well-being in the long run.

It’s imperative that you note that feeling valued can also determine your self-development and motivation on your job. However, it’s your duty to appreciate your work.

I consider it to be a trick to the mind. Although it’s your duty, I’d be sharing ways that can help you get valued by your employer.

One of the reasons why people tend to complain and generally fail to stay positive is also because they feel less valued at work.

Some of the reasons why you may feel undervalued are:

  • You regularly get interrupted at meetings.
  • No one notices your input
  • You feel that you are not paid enough
  • You do not feel challenged

I’ll be sharing some tips below.

1.  Don’t Expect Anything

Most times workers tend to put in their best with an expectation in mind.

I am of the opinion that the moment you begin to do that, you are already failing to do your work wholeheartedly and putting yourself under unnecessary pressure to be valued.

As workers, I believe our mindset should be viewed this way:

“I will work, do my job perfectly because I’ll gain more experience from this, learn new things and improve my career. However, even when I benefit from doing this job, I’ll also have helped my organization achieve its goal.”

As long as that sentence may appear, it seems to be what to keep telling ourselves (as workers) while completing our tasks. Avoid expecting something in return for getting your job done.

2. Read/ Learn

If you are new to your industry and have little experience in your field then you may need to consider reading and widening your horizon. Let your co-workers and employer feel your enthusiasm.

Also, try to network, attend conferences and seminars related to your career or take new courses, find a mentor if you can and learn new things. Do whatever you can to gain valuable experience while taking your job seriously as well.

As you go on apply these new things you have learned in your work-life and discuss it with your boss.

3. Request for Tasks/ Assignments

It could very well be that there is little or nothing for you to do and because of this, there isn’t the need for your employer to value you. So what do you do in this scenario?

Meet up with your employer and ask for a task. Sometimes, the workplace may get so busy and depending on how your organization is structured, a person may be omitted from being allotted tasks.

To avoid this, try reminding your employer/ manager of your worth by requesting for tasks. This will put you in the light as someone that is really interested in making an input and it will, in turn, earn you that value you desire.

4. Be willing to help others

You should also understand that as a worker, you are expected to get your tasks done, as well as help others.  Only then will you be recognized once you can clearly contribute to the growth of your team.

So, depending on how your organization is structured, render assistance to your team/ employer and be someone they can rely on. Ensure that you meet up with deadlines and time lags.

As you continue with this, you will become valued over time. Ensure that you are not just playing eye service.

5. Discuss

This may very well come in handy during a performance appraisal. Discuss with your employer on what works best for you and challenges you are facing.

Ensure that you both reach a consensus and communicate in a polite way, ensuring that the message is properly relayed. All you need to do in this case is explain how you feel.

It is better than eating up yourself with thoughts of feeling less valued.

You can either take action, or you can hang back and hope for a miracle. Miracles are great, but they are so unpredictable.

– Peter F. Drucker

6. Support System

You may also form a support system with other colleagues. It shouldn’t be one of gossip and idle talk.

Rather, when you have indeed completed a task efficiently, you may want to encourage each other. Preferably, the best way to go about this is to team up with a colleague and remind each other of what has worked well as you carry on your duties.

It’ll help lighten your mood, remind you of what needs improvement and constantly motivate you. Who knows, your colleague may bring up what you discussed with your employer!

7. Become a Change Agent

Be the change you want to see in the world!

Your employer may never have realized that he/ she has failed to value your efforts. Don’t you think you should do to him/ her, what you expect from him/ her? Show how much you value other’s efforts and it will, in turn, come to you after a while.

Become an acting example and if possible use “we”.

For instance, you can say- “Great job! I am glad we did well.”

8. Get Social

This will come up after work hours. It could be that your employer/ manager has been caught up with work and failed to make you feel valued.

Hang out after work with the decision makers where you can. Play basketball after work or go get pizza! People tend to be more relaxed after work knowing that they are done with their task for the day.

This may be an opportunity to understand them better. More so, if you can hang out with other employees that will be good as well. Mix up! It will also help improve your team spirit.

For example, I don’t drink coffee, but I’d never turn down a coffee offer, I’d rather go to the coffee shop and drink hot chocolate instead. That way, I still get to hang out with others even though I may not be taking coffee.

In summary, I’d say that the most important thing is not to turn your need to feel valued into an obsession or craving. Consider what is expected of you for self-development at all times.

Do you feel valued at work? If you do, how have you been able to achieve this? Please share below, I love getting to know your thoughts!

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by Zinny
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