6 Self Empowering Steps to Take When You Feel Undervalued at Work

Let's face it, the pandemic made us all question what we are willing to put up with at work.

Before Covid, my days looked like this:

• 6am - wake up (some days even at 5am) to get on top of my inbox (these 2h were the most productive hours of my day )

• 7am - wake up the kids, get them ready for school, make their breakfast, lunch boxes, get ready myself

• 8:30am - school drop off

• 8: 45am - drive to the bus stop

• 9:00am - take the bus to the city while on emails/calls

• 9:30am - get a (second) coffee

• 9:40am - 5pm - back to back meetings

• 5pm - bus it to where I parked my car while managing my guilt for leaving the office before my peers

• 5:45pm - pick up the kids from after school care

• 6:00pm - cook dinner, feed the kids, wash up, clean up

• 8pm - get the kids ready for bed

• 10pm - catch up on emails/project work (as I was in meetings most of the day!)

• 12:30am - bed time

• 6am - repeat

This was my scheduled 5 days a week! for years! and I wasn't the only one struggling to achieve work-life balance.

Then Covid happened, the company I was working for shut down and with it, this crazy schedule!

The last 24 months have changed everything. We are now starting to ask very human questions about the work we do. 

Why am I doing this? What is it for? Am I happy? Am I being valued? Is it worth it? 

About 10 people I spoke with in the last 2 weeks, are either unhappy at work, recently resigned (from a crappy job, or a crappy boss) or are considering resigning as I type up these lines ('Great Resignation' anyone?!).

In today's post Covid world, where work is an activity, not a location

• 36% of professionals say they plan to take a different job in the near future because the pandemic allowed them to re-evaluate what they want and the change they need (Korn Ferry survey)

• 45% of employees feel emotionally drained from their work (SHRM)

• Nearly 3 in 5 employees in the US reported negative impacts of work-related stress, including lack of interest, motivation, or energy (26%) and lack of effort at work (19%). Meanwhile, 36% reported cognitive weariness, 32% reported emotional exhaustion, and an astounding 44% reported physical fatigue—a 38% increase since 2019 (American Psychological Association) and the statistics is very similar in Australia.

While much of the onus is on companies to improve our workplace, your job and your experience at work, will never be as important to anyone else as it is to you, so it’s also up to you to do what you can so you feel empowered and valued. 

If you don’t address the things you’re struggling with in your current role, they’ll follow you to your next role.

So, before you start updating your resume, take a step back and take stock of your current situation.

Is there anything you can do to make things better for yourself?

Here are 6 self empowering steps you can take to and make sure you do your part to create the experience we want at work:

1. Identify what you are good at
   Are you living up to your potential? Do you have a chance to use your strengths every day at work? Do you know what your strengths are? Does your manager know your strengths? Chances are, if you’re feeling undervalued at work, you may not be using your strengths to their fullest capacity. Instead of trying to “fix” your weaknesses or focusing on the tasks and skills that drain you, focus on building and honing your strengths. Then, you can identify the parts of your job that allow you to use your strengths each day, and the parts that don’t.

2. Create a 'Pool Room' folder
   Remember the movie The Castle? collect great feedback, recommendations, outstanding performance reviews you receive and file them all in your 'Accomplishment' folder. Your list of accomplishments can help you accurately and authentically rate yourself, and it gives concrete examples of how you demonstrate different competencies at work. It also helps you build confidence in yourself without relying on external validation.

3. Actively seek feedback
   Feedback is a gift! Getting feedback on your work is so critical for your growth and development. If you’re feeling undervalued at work, it’s an opportunity to start a conversation with your manager. Express how you’re feeling in your role and ask if there is anything else you can do to improve.

4. Find your 'Calling'
   Your calling is the urge to share your gifts with the world. When we are out of alignment with our purpose, we don't feel in a flow. It might feel like we are swimming upstream while someone is holding on to our ankles. Part of finding your calling and purpose involves understanding your strengths and identifying your core values, passions, and skills. If any of those feel out of alignment in your current work, or if your core values don’t align with your company’s core values, it might be a good time to do some inner work to find what is your Calling.

5. Increase your visibility
   The antidote for feeling undervalued at work because you don’t feel that your work is being recognised, is increasing your visibility. Make yourself known. No one will seek you out if they don’t know who you are and what you bring to the table. Instead, shine so brightly. Impostor Syndrome affects about 70% of the population, Instead of thinking, “I need to work harder to prove my worth,” remember that you’re actually showing (not proving) your value.

6. Uplevel
   Finally, if you’re reading this and thinking, “I’ve already done everything and I still feel undervalued!” then you simply might have outgrown your current role and it might be time to move on. You spend the majority of your time at work, so you deserve to be in a role that challenges you, that allows you to grow, use your strengths and that helps you connect with your purpose.