They say we spend a third of our lives at work. Thus, we can at least expect our work to be satisfactory, at least from a professional point of view. Nor is it necessary for your boss to spend the whole day praising your work and showering you with compliments. That would be weird, to say the least. Nor does it mean that you can do the bare minimum and be recognized, we have to earn our paycheck. But of course, it’s important to get the credit we deserve.
Let’s put it in context
A new team member with a master’s degree starts working on a research project on important research. So far so good, good salary, good conditions, good leaders.
The problem is more emotional when he realizes that he is the only magister on the research team. He has been assigned exclusive work which is part of the research. But he has the feeling that he is being undervalued because he does not have a Ph.D. like the other members of the research team.
This person is aware of their qualities and skills. As well as his technical and practical knowledge and intelligence to perform complex tasks. But important tasks of the research are performed by the doctors without the possibility of including him. Even mentioning that he was accepted in the research because of his great work in previous research.
At the moment the researcher with a master’s degree is dedicated to the theoretical part of the research while the researchers with a Ph.D. work on the practical part of the project. They are not allowing the new member to take part, knowing that he is qualified.
This starts to annoy the new team member a lot and little by little he starts to feel undervalued and not respected neither by his bosses nor by his colleagues.
What would you do in their place?
Would you put up with it because the most important thing is the salary, keep quiet and try to prove your worth indirectly? You might even consider changing jobs. Or would you talk to your leader or boss so that little by little it allows you to be involved in more intellectual tasks?
You’re not looking to lead research, but you don’t need a Ph.D. to do some of the activities they currently do. You may be excluded from certain job opportunities. Maybe you think you’re not getting your place in some project you think you have the skills for. It’s possible that you’re wrong and you don’t have the skills, but you’ve put a lot of effort into it and you’re confident.
If you feel this way, probably you are feeling undervalued.
What to do if you feel undervalued?
It is very simple (although it seems very easy to say), we only have to value what we have and that cannot be bought. Such as the emotional environment, family, people who love us, who respect us, etc.
We must be aware that, for whatever reason, we will come across people who try to make us feel undervalued. And we cannot forget that the pain of feeling undervalued can seriously damage self-esteem, so we must avoid suffering from this feeling.
I believe that everyone at some point in their lives has gone or will go through this episode, and this article is intended to clarify the ideas before such a question (what to do if we feel undervalued). As well as how to respond to situations that make us feel this way.
We all have personalities and might be appreciated for our efforts. If you think no one notices what you are doing, you can change the situation. There square measure many ways to make certain people perceive and see what you do.
How can I highlight my accomplishments without bragging about my work?
Who should I talk to if I feel undervalued? And if the situation doesn’t change, how long should I stay in that position? Well, many times the questions you ask yourself in these types of situations tell you how much the feeling affects you on a personal level. However, there are many ways to make sure that people understand and see what you do, the key is to find diplomatic ways to show your work.
Undervaluation at work results in low motivation, nerve-racking things, and general discomfort. it’s necessary to not reach extreme things that place our health in danger. Therefore, keep the following in mind. Talk to your bosses, human resources, or management. Explain what the problem is and how you feel undervalued (salary, goals achieved, and few opportunities for promotion or job improvement…). As long as you continue in that job, don’t lower your performance. Do your work to the best of your ability, that way your productivity will continue to be strengthened and your self-image will continue to be appropriate. Even if you don’t receive reinforcement or motivation at work, try to boost your self-esteem with goals that you set for yourself. Beyond the context that surrounds you, do not stop valuing yourself and your skills.
Feeling truly appreciated lifts people up
If they don’t appreciate your potential in that work setting, they will be able to do so elsewhere if you decide to leave that position. Feeling appreciated lifts people up at the most basic level, it makes us feel safe, which is what frees us to do our best work. It’s also energizing. when our value feels at risk, as it often does, that worry becomes preoccupying, which drains and diverts our energy from creating value. The problem is that many employees don’t feel appreciated by their employers in today’s corporate culture. As a result, motivation and productivity can decrease.
This creates a dangerous cycle where lack of appreciation leads to a lack of work and creates friction in the workplace. Yet, it’s not only that lack of appreciation affects production, it causes physical harm in the form of stress and anxiety. When you don’t feel appreciated, give yourself a “personal litmus test” about your recent accomplishments.
Ask yourself, “Was my work the best? Was it above and beyond what my team usually does?” And, more important, “If I had to ask for acknowledgment for it, would I sound dumb?” If you’re not sure, get a second opinion from a “more experienced co-worker” or a peer you respect and get feedback from them.
How negativity affects us
What if it’s negative feedback? How does negativity affect us? you should look at the concept of negativity bias.
This bias, which is intrinsically built into the human brain, says that negative experiences are easier to remember and perceive than positive ones. Negative stimuli cause the brain’s alarm bells to ring, while positive stimuli simply cause temporary satisfaction. Your brain’s alarm bell – the amygdala (you have two of these little almond-shaped regions, one on each side of your head) – uses about two-thirds of its neurons to look for the bad news: it’s inclined to go negative.
Once the alarm advises, negative events and experiences are quickly stored in memory. In contrast to positive events and experiences, which generally must be held in awareness for a dozen or more seconds to transfer from short-term memory buffers to term storage.
When you fulfill the need to feel appreciated with our innate inclination toward negativity bias, it’s easy to see why so many people struggle to motivate themselves at work.
Focus on small victories
We’ve all had those days when nothing seems to go our way. No available electric outlets, the printer jams, no coffee or bad coffee. Your boss congratulates someone for something you did.
On days like this, it can help to look for your own small wins. For example, let’s say you need to start a big presentation but you just can’t move forward. instead of staring at a blank presentation deck for thirty minutes, put the project aside and find something to do “bite-sized.”
When you look for small victories, you force your brain to stop focusing on positive stimuli instead of negative ones. This counteracts the negativity bias and helps you become aware of the positive things that happen surround you.
What is extrinsic motivation?
This type of motivation is when the reasons that drive someone to perform certain tasks and learn new skills are due to external rewards. Intrinsic motivation can provide a long-term impetus to do things. For example, these reasons may allow people to do the same job with pleasure for several years, or to help peers without expecting anything in return. There are several ways to boost this type of motivation at work:
From the managers’ point of view:
They can promote intrinsic motivation with empowering and enriching feedback. Open communication is also crucial for the team to understand what is expected of them, this will avoid misunderstandings and frustration, and raise engagement and productivity.
From the point of view of the employees:
It is important to express feelings and reasons for dissatisfaction. Likewise, letting people know what kind of activities are most enjoyable will help managers when assigning tasks.
What is intrinsic motivation?
Whoever acts under this type of motivation does not seem to have any obvious external reward. That means there is no incentive or pressure from anyone else. The reasons come from inside because they find what they have to do enjoyable or interesting. Sometimes it is necessary to install extrinsic factors to get better results. Especially when you need to speed up productivity, work overtime, or assign a task that is unpleasant, for example, with prizes, commissions, and bonuses.
From the managers’ point of view:
It’s important to offer rewards strategically. While this type of motivation drives people to take on new challenges or do better, you also need to make sure you give your team the resources they need to develop projects and skills they are passionate about.
From the point of view of the collaborators:
It is good to engage in projects that offer an external benefit, but these should not exceed those activities that are done for personal satisfaction. It is important to balance the time to divide a few hours into the development of hobbies and projects that are a challenge on a personal level.
Discovering and fostering self-confidence
There are many ways to foster motivation, despite an overwhelming lack of appreciation in your current job. The key is to foster self-confidence, even when no one else is giving you the encouragement you crave.
It’s also important to do your part in building a work culture that prioritizes appreciation. even if you’re not in a management or leadership role, you can do little things that make people feel valued.
Go out of your way to say something nice about one coworker. it could be something simple as saying, “I think you did a good job on that presentation. You should be proud.”
People like to feel needed. When you ask someone for help, be sure to explain that you sought them out specifically because you know they’re good at creative design (or, in any case).
If you’re working on a big project with a team of people, consider bringing coffee, snacks, or lunch one day. A physical token of gratitude for the hard work will lead to an instant boost in motivation.
Pay attention to detail. If you ask someone to send you information about a client and they do so immediately after returning to your office, thank them for being so prompt with the response.
By making your coworkers feel appreciated in small ways, you can help create a new culture. you’ll be aware that those acts of appreciation turn into something contagious. Before you realize it, a whole new culture will emerge, with motivation and happiness.
To conclude, we all can think at some time that “I feel undervalued by others”. When this happens, it is necessary to explore ourselves first. We can’t expect from others what we don’t give to ourselves.
Sometimes we don’t realize what we have, both in our skills and around us. To overcome a feeling of undervaluation, it may be a big step to try to appreciate who we are and what we have achieved in our lives.
When a person feels undervalued, they can end up not appreciating what others do for them. In these cases, it can be beneficial for both, you and those around you to try to be more grateful for the gestures that others do for you. That is, see all that you have, both in you and around you and that makes you feel comfortable to be able to express it outwardly.
Thus, in case our level of self-esteem and personal appreciation is covered and there is a problem of contempt, we must solve it. It is not advisable to live a long time with that feeling stuck inside us because it wears down, hurts, and damages us.
Let’s solve these situations with assertiveness and request what every person deserves and needs: respect and appreciation.
