Productivity Is Perception: 5 Ways To Get Your Great Work Noticed

New research suggests which generations are most—and least—productive. But productivity is largely perception, and perception is reality. Your success will depend not just on how well you perform, but also on whether you’re perceived as a great performer.

With the trend toward quiet quitting, there is focus on whether people are productive and who’s pulling their weight—so your work may be under a microscope more than usual. Knowing this, you can use some specific strategies to be sure your great gets noticed without bragging, boasting or being arrogant.

Frustrated Colleagues

First, know that performance matters not just to your employer, but also to your coworkers. A study by LLC demonstrates that if you’re not pulling your weight it shows, and it annoys the people around you.

• 42% of respondents say laziness and a poor work ethic are some of the biggest annoyances, second only to complaining
• 62% are annoyed by the trend to do the bare minimum to get by
• 57% have noticed a colleague who is doing the bare minimum

A study by LiveCareer found 71% of people believed others are lazy and 70% have criticized a coworker for doing minimum levels of work to get by. And 75% believe a trend toward people not doing their fair share hurts productivity.

One of the problems with doing as little is as possible is that it puts additional pressure on teammates. The LLC research found 57% say they’ve had to take on more work because others are doing the minimum in their jobs. And the generations most annoyed by those who don’t pull their weight are Baby Boomers and Gen Xers.

This matters since often it’s these generations who are in more senior roles and who make decisions about rewards, promotions or career advancement. Doing too little could be career-limiting, especially with companies which are trimming and the job market which is tightening.

Perceptions About Productivity

Unfortunately, productivity is also perception, and people in the LLC study tended to judge generations for their productivity. When respondents were asked who is least productive, 51% said Gen Z followed by 24% who said Baby Boomers and 18% who said Millennials. Only 7% said Gen X.

Of course, the differences between individuals are more meaningful than differences between groups, and overgeneralization can be damaging—but it’s good to know what you might be up against in terms of perceptions.

Get Your Work Noticed

If you’re doing great work and no one notices, it may not help you. At the same time, people become frustrated by those who seek the limelight or who boast about their work—so you have to find appropriate ways to let your work shine while also ensuring you’re not overshadowing others.

#1 – Do Great Work

The first rule of getting noticed for doing great work is actually doing great work. The best approach isn’t to fake it. While a mouse jiggler (which simulates the movement of a computer mouse) may seem like a good idea to satisfy your company’s surveillance technology while you take a nap, it isn’t. Likewise, waking up to send an early email to make it look like you’ve been working for hours, also won’t fly. People will see through these tactics rather quickly. Avoid productivity theater and put your creative thinking toward your work, rather than toward creating the illusion of work.

Perhaps the best reasons to authentically perform well are for your own sense of esteem. You’ll have a greater sense of meaning and confidence, knowing you’re putting your best efforts forward. In fact, the LiveCareer study found 84% of people believed work was a primary way you feel value as a person. In addition, you’ll learn more by diving in and taking initiative. And you’ll feel more connected to others by making an important contribution to your team and your community. Legitimately performing well is good for you as well as those around you. It’s the place to start.

Also consider “recency error” which is a cognitive bias where people draw conclusions not based on an objective sense of everything that’s occurred, but with a greater emphasis on what’s happened lately. You’ll need to perform well consistently because people have short memories. With all the information coming at people all the time, your most recent contributions will be most notable.

#2 – Be Impactful

To get noticed for your results, you’ll also need to seek our important work. Volunteer for projects which are priorities for your organization and take initiative when you see a something that can be improved. Being proactive and enthusiastic about your engagement sends positive messages about how much you’re paying attention, invested and committed to shared goals.

But also do windows. Sometimes, people try and avoid less glamorous tasks believing they are below them or because they’re seeking more visible efforts. But doing only the high-profile work will get you labeled as a prima donna. All jobs include some variation of “doing windows,” the elements of the role which aren’t fancy, but which are necessary. When you do everything with excellence, you pave the way toward people seeing your commitment to excellence. When you attend to the seemingly less important details, people will trust you with the more important responsibilities as well.

You’ll also need to emphasize your outcomes, not just your activities. If you’re working on problems with your supplier, tell your boss about the ways the team plans to test solutions and how quickly you will reduce lead times, not how many meetings you’ve had. When you’re struggling to work through a conflict with a colleague, report on the ways you’re taking action to listen and connect, rather than on the number of emails you’ve sent to seek resolution on an issue.

#3 – Be Collaborative

When you want to get noticed, you’re also wise to build strong relationships with others. Show up, follow through, complete tasks and get things done when others are counting on you. Consider your own performance and also how your work impacts on others. And provide recognition and gratitude for others when you’ve accomplished something together.

When you have strong relationships, research shows you’ll be happier and more fulfilled. And when you’re focused on helping others, this too is correlated with happiness. People will appreciate your work when its quality supports their work, in turn. You’ll develop respect when people know they can count on you and trust that you’ll do what you say.

Also nurture your network. Build connections, seek mentors and ask for feedback from colleagues. Strong social capital provides you with opportunities to help others and to ask for help. It provides you with sources of advice and access to new ideas and coaching so you can do your best. When you know more people across the organization, you can support them, and you also build greater credibility because of the critical mass of people who know and appreciate the value of your work.

#4 – Be Accountable

To get credit for your efforts, you will also be wise to ensure you are reinforcing accountability and tracking your work effectively. Especially with more remote work and greater distance from your leader or your team, people won’t be able to see you working, and more companies are monitoring employees’ work. One report estimated 80% of the largest privately held companies use tracking technology, and a report from Gartner IT estimated 70% of large firms would use monitoring technology in the next three years.

While it may be frustrating if you’re organization is using surveillance technology, you can lean into the practice. When you perform well, tracking technology can offer quantitative reinforcement of your commitment. Embrace the metrics your company uses. Enter your time, track your sales calls or work your prescribed hours. You would do good work anyway, so tell yourself these are just ways your company will know about it.

In addition, you can also manage your own narrative. Design your own system of tracking and measuring your work, establish regular connection meetings with your boss and share your great work using a method that works for you. Perhaps you have a spreadsheet of all the customers you impact week-to-week or maybe in each session with your leader you share five things you’ve accomplished and two areas in which you need guidance to keep doing good work.

#5 – Be Intentional

Finally, when you’re seeking recognition for your efforts, be smart about how you work. Keep your promises and do things within the agreed-upon timeframes. In general, do things sooner, rather than later. If you commit to follow up after a meeting without a date, it will be more meaningful and memorable for people if they receive your follow up within a week, rather than much later. Put reminders on your calendar if there are things you need to do in the future.

Get things done more effectively by reducing distractions and staying focused on outcomes. Break down responsibilities so you can experience progress on smaller tasks over time. Avoid perfectionism which can get in the way of getting things completed. You’ll have tactics which are unique to you and which work best for you, but overall, be intentional about how you work and how you accomplish results.

Perception is reality, and productivity is perception. But you don’t have to be an expert at creating the illusion of productivity or engaging in productivity theater. These will actually work to your disadvantage. Instead, focus on doing your best and bringing your best—so you benefit and so the people around you do as well. These will be the surest ways to get noticed for your great work.