Feeling Unappreciated At Work? Take Action With 3 Steps

I often talk about how finding the right career path will light you up with purpose.

But today, at the risk of making a dangerous You Turn, I want to talk about feeling undervalued.

It’s true – some people love their jobs. According to a poll from Gallup, 48% of people feel completely satisfied at work. But let’s not forget the people who head to work chugging a crummy cup of coffee so they can get through another day in an office with gray walls, an overbearing boss and a dying floor plant. Sound familiar? As a career coach, most of my work revolves around helping clients in situations like this one.

Just like a crummy cup of coffee, there are many ways to brew an unfulfilling job. In coaching sessions, the topic of clarity comes up often. I help my clients uncover their blind spots so they can land on an exciting career path that relies on their strengths. While this takes a substantial amount of reflection and facilitation to accomplish, reaching a solution is within their control.

But the truth is, most people don’t quit their jobs because they lack clarity. Rather, studies show that 79% of employees quit their jobs because of something they can’t change: a work environment that leaves them feeling unappreciated when they clock out at the end of the day. All of this is to say, an unfulfilling job can also be brewed by a boss who overlooks your contribution and commitment to the company.

Unfortunately, employees who feel undervalued probably aren’t the ones holding the reigns in the office, which means they also probably aren’t the ones who can fix work environment directly . With that being said, employees can confront the situation by initiating a conversation with the boss or coworker with the power to evoke change.

If you do choose to have initiate a conversation in the workplace, make sure you walk into it feeling prepared. The last thing you want to do if you don’t feel appreciated at work is unintentionally say something that makes you even less appreciated at work. Here are three steps to help you execute a conversation that addresses your concerns without executing yourself from the company.

1. Evaluate the situation

A poll carried out by Gallup found that 21% of U.S. employees believe their work organization doesn’t care about their well-being. If this sounds like you, take a moment to reflect and challenge your thinking. Determine whether your thoughts have actual merit or if they’re just a manifestation of work anxiety.

Work environments with coworkers and bosses who offer little to no feedback or friendly conversation create a lot of room for insecure overthinking: “Do they like me?” Am I doing a good job?” Assessing these thoughts won’t feel pleasant, but doing so is necessary to determine whether you’re actually being undervalued or just reading too much into the situation.

Signs that you’re being undervalued at work include having colleagues that:

· Talk over you

· Don’t acknowledge your physical presence or contributions to the company

· Underpay you

· Diminish or disregard your ideas and wok

Try to think of specific instances that made you feel undervalued at work and ask yourself if there could be any rational explanation or justification for them. Centering a whole conversation around a series of small occurrences will make you seem overly emotional, however it is helpful to keep a few examples in your back pocket should you be asked to go into more detail about why you feel the way you do.

2. Prepare for action

If you come to the conclusion that you are in fact unappreciated at work, it’s time to move onto the preparation phase.

Develop an idea of what you want to say and how you want it by jotting your thoughts down on a piece of paper. Think about who you’re speaking to and what their personality is like. Are they upbeat and open to ideation? Express your emotions and brainstorm a few solutions that might solve the problem. Do they close themselves off with a rigid leadership style? Speak about the situation clinically by discussing facts rather than emotions.

Also think about the language the other person uses. How do they express ideas differently than you do? Explaining the situation with words the other person resonates with will help them understand why you feel unappreciated at work.

You don’t need to have your whole conversation planned out, but it is helpful to know where you want it to start. Consider running a few opening lines by a friend or partner who’s already familiar with the situation (feeling unappreciated at work often leads to inundating your buddy with work frustrations during happy hour).

3. Execute the plan and follow-up

Now that you’ve figured out how to approach the conversation, it’s time to finish your cup of coffee and take action (though you should probably skip the coffee if you’re the jittery type).

Approach your boss or coworker and ask if you can talk to them about something that’s been on your mind. For more serious conversations – especially those with your boss – ask if you can set up a time to speak. Having an appointment will prevent distractions from interrupting your conversation and will also show your boss that the topic you’re discussing is of importance to you.

Consider following up in a few weeks to touch base on the status of any solutions you spoke about. If the situation has improved, make a point of thanking them for their time and help. If nothing changes and you still dread heading to the office, consider mentioning the observations you’ve made since your last conversation and offer some fresh solutions.

With that being said, if things still don’t change after a few weeks or months, consider looking for a new job. No one should feel unhappy at work — especially when they’re already putting their hard work and time on the line.