By Devan Moonsamy
The most frustrating thing for any employee has to be when their work is not being acknowledged. In the fast-paced work environment, the race to remain the best can be overwhelming, and it might suck out the energy from even the most creative employee when they are not acknowledged for their effort.
When a team member is not recognised for their effort, they might want to slip into the shadows and not want to continue giving their best. The mindset that if my great work was not noticed, then surely my lack of interest in work won’t be noticed either.
If a motivated team member starts to feel this way, it is unfortunately the start of a very negative journey for them in the workplace. They will be deterred and they won’t want to participate in activities in the office.
As management, it might be the looming deadlines and the fast-paced office environment that might have us not giving recognition to the team members who require it, even though we see their hard work. This is not an excuse for the behaviour but rather a point for management to consider when it comes to dishing out recognition to staff.
Ensuring that your work gets noticed comes from the effort you put in to it. If you are confident that the work you have done is flawless and deserves recognition, then you need to ensure you get recognised for it:
Here are a few ways to ensure you are getting recognised for your work:
The first step to getting recognised for the great work you do is to change your perception. You need to have a fresh take on productivity. If you want to be recognised for the work you are doing, then you need to be great at it. Work should not be done, in order to meet a deadline. If you want to be recognised for your work then you need to ensure that you have put in 100% of your effort. This is where it starts.
Another great way to get noticed for your effort has got to be teaming up with other staff members. Having more engagement in the office and pairing up with another team member, might get you in the spotlight for the great work you are doing. Collaborating will help you in not just building work relationships, but also make you feel the gratitude from your team members. This will do wonders for the team morale in the office.
If you are working remotely, and you are failing to be recognised for the effort you put in, then it is time to make the change. The technology in place to track remote working is not to keeps tabs on you but rather it is there to ensure accountability. If you are working remotely, it might seem much more difficult to be recognised, but ensuring you log in on time and complete all tasks assigned to you daily can be the start to getting recognised for working hard despite challenges like loadshedding.
Make an impact. Start taking the office environment into account and make a difference. If there are projects or tasks requiring extra hands and your team at the current moment, is not as busy, perhaps you should volunteer. This will be a great way to work in another department and also it will help you familiarise yourself with other departments in the business.
Try not to be discouraged when you are not immediately recognised. If you notice that you put in a lot of effort in a particular task, but you were not recognised for it, don’t be discouraged. Rather, go back and look at what the potential gaps were and try harder the next time. It could also mean you need to rework the strategy you are using to reach your goals.
Devan Moonsamy is the CEO of ICHAF Training Institute.
*The views expressed here are not necessarily those of IOL or of title sites.
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