5 Signs You're Undervalued at Work

Welcome to Faithful on the Clock, everybody. This is the podcast all about getting your faith and work aligned. I'm your host Wanda Thibodeaux, and today, we're talking about how to tell whether you're undervalued at your job. I know sometimes that's not easy, especially if you haven't been in your position for very long, but we're going to straighten it all out for you, starting right now.

So the reason I wanted to talk about feeling valued or undervalued at work is because I know you know through the pandemic, and maybe even before that, there's just a ton of dissatisfaction that people have with their work, which is definitely playing into the Great Resignation that we've got going on. And dissatisfaction, that's bad news, not just for you in terms of your own performance and mental health, but also in terms of how well the business can stay stable and sustain over time. You know, if your company is losing people all the time because workers aren't happy, that's definitely not a good thing. And I want you to feel comfortable and to know that it is okay to want to be in a place that respects you and sees the potential that you have. You know, you don't have to settle for a place that feels just meh.

So one sign that I want you to look out for in your job that might signal that you aren't as valued as much as you should be is the compensation you see at other companies. And I'm starting out with this one because I think it might feel a little bit obvious in terms of base salaries or hourly wages that you want to have a kind of comparative baseline. But the caveat to this is that if you are in a smaller business, maybe a startup that doesn't have a fantastic budget or that can't give you tons of perks like the big companies can, they might not be able to show you that they value you so much in a paycheck. But they absolutely will show you in other ways, whether that's trying to work around your schedule or getting your input when they really aren’t obligated to, those kinds of behaviors. So if you're not getting paid what other companies are offering for a similar role, that could be a sign that you are not valued, but it's not a hard and fast rule. You do have to look at how individuals within the company are interacting with you to make a final call.

Next, take a look at how people praise you. It might be that you're in a position where your projects aren't going to get you big rounds of thundering applause. You know, that's just not the nature of the work. But 1 Thessalonians 5:18 reminds us to give thanks in all circumstances. And that means being grateful to God, sure, but you can show you’re thankful to others, too. Your managers and your coworkers, when you do a good job, when you're standing around at the water cooler, they should be saying things to you like, "Hey, I noticed that you did x or y, and I really appreciate that. That helped me out a lot." You know so the praise doesn't have to be about huge things. But it should be consistent enough to give you the message that people are observing, that they are noticing and that they approve of what you're doing. If you're not getting that, that's a sign that they are not paying enough attention to the way that you are contributing. But one little aside I do want to mention here is that every coworker or boss is individual, right? So take into consideration what amount of praise or reward they normally give to anybody. You know, what's their standard, because you might be looking for a lot more than they're giving, but if that's their normal, then you might just need to tell them, you know, "I need a little bit more positive reinforcement to stay motivated here."

The next sign is, and this kind of relates to the first two points, how long it has been since you got a promotion or a raise? And there can be a lot of things that play into when and how you move up and what budget a company has, I know. So you have to take all of that into account. But Leviticus 19:13 says “You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him.” And Romans 4:4 says, “Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation.” And that essentially means that, if somebody’s worked hard, that’s not a free ride. They deserve to be compensated for the effort they put in. It is a due or debt to them. So your managers should be going through your reviews and looking for ways to keep growing you, because again, that shows that they are paying attention and that they believe in your potential. They should be talking to you about positions that are available or that will be coming available and telling you what they think might be good options for you. Now this connects to taking on added responsibilities, because if you want a promotion or a raise, you have to show that you are capable of handling a little bit more heat, right? That you can handle a little bit more on your plate or things that are a little bit higher level. But I know a lot of times what happens is, if your manager's not that great, they're gonna pile things on you just to see what they can get outta you, and then they're not going to say anything good about it. They're not going to reward you. They're just going to expect you to take on more and more without any kind of compensation or reward at all. That is not what you want to have happen. If you are taking on more responsibilities or a heavier workload, you should be getting some kind of kudos for that. If you are not, that is a sign that the business is not really considering you as a person. They're thinking more about the bottom line than they're thinking about what's fair.

So sign number four. This is how much and the way in which your employer or coworker let you voice your opinions. The Bible’s got lots of verses, for example, Proverbs 10:19, that remind us that sometimes it’s good to hold your tongue. But people are probably not seeing your value very well if they are not letting you speak in meetings, if they’re constantly questioning what you put on the table, if they are constantly telling you that you're not being reasonable…things like that. They should ask you for your input once in a while, even if it's on smaller things. And when they ask, they should really hear you out. They shouldn't just give you two seconds of their time when they're not even really listening to you and they're just doing it to kind of save face.

The last sign is that you consistently don't feel very motivated or inspired. And the way this ties to being valued is, when a company has good clear goals they understand what it's going to take to get the business where they want to go. They're going to make an effort to show you not only where they want to go, but also where you fit into that, and they're going to try to get you excited about what they want to accomplish. They're going to work really hard to convince you that they see how you can contribute to that, you know the kind of light a fire under you. So if you don't feel valued, it might be because the company doesn't really have a clear sense of what they want to accomplish, or at the very least, they're not communicating it very well and they're not connecting the employees to the vision that they have. And one of the reasons that happens is because the managers or people on your team take the attitude that they can get anybody to do your job. You know, that you're replaceable. Because they're just looking at things in a checklist or skills kind of way, and they're not looking at the big picture of your personality or the other things that you bring to the culture. So definitely take a look at what the leaders or people on your team are communicating there and think about whether you do feel that excitement to walk in to the office every day.

Now, if you are in a position of leadership, I think I've laid out pretty clearly where management or executives kind of go wrong in showing employees the value that they have. So I'm just going to call on you today to take a look at what you're doing and have some honest discussions with the people around you. Go ahead and ask them, "Do you feel okay here? Do you feel like you matter and that we really understand what you're worth?" And you can be up front and honest about the fact you're not perfect and that you want to improve. Ask them what they need for what they think the issues are, because remember, everybody is really individual in that department, and there really is no substitute for getting that one-on-one feedback.

So there you have it folks. You've got a couple of ways to diagnose how people in your company are valuing you. And I hope that, if you take a look at those things, you come out on the right side of it. But I will just encourage you and tell you, if things aren't looking that rosy, God does have a plan for you. He knows where he's gonna take you, and the value He sees in you is always priceless. In fact, He valued you so much that Christ gave His life for you. And if he sees you as priceless, then just don't settle. Do your best to advocate for yourself and don't let anybody cheat you or make you feel less than what you are.

So let's just bow our heads and take a quick moment to pray together. Join me if you would.

God, I know that this world is not perfect. And the reality is that there are plenty of people who would take advantage of us or exploit us as much as they can. And so I pray, Lord, that You will protect us from that, and that as part of that protection, You will make it clear to us what our strengths are so that we can present them with confidence and honesty to the people around us. And when we do encounter people who do not treat us with a value we have remind us to seek your spirit of forgiveness in every way we can. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

All right, everybody. That wraps up the show for today. Next week, our topic is going to be follow-through. I’ll be giving you some tips for finally finishing all that stuff that’s been piling up. But before I go, I just want to give a sincere thank you to everybody out there who's listening. I so appreciate each and every one of you showing your support every week, and I hope that you'll continue to join me as I keep putting out new episodes. If you'd like to support the show financially you can do that by going to patreon.com/faithfulontheclock. I've got a couple of tiers at different prices that you can choose from, so you pick the one that works for your budget, and until next time, be blessed.