By Rachel Premack, Business Insider
- Many people feel they're underappreciated at work.
- Feeling that your company doesn't care about you might make you feel unmotivated.
- Here are 19 signs that your company isn't investing in you - and won't change their ways any time soon.
Feeling underappreciated is a leading reason that people want to quit their jobs.
"People come to work for more than a paycheck," Lynn Taylor, a national workplace expert, leadership coach, and author of "Tame Your Terrible Office Tyrant: How to Manage Childish Boss Behavior and Thrive in Your Job" told Business Insider. "They want to feel that their contributions are making a difference. If an employer cares about your long-term growth and happiness, you'll feel a much greater sense of purpose, and reward."
If your company isn't appreciating you, it's normal to feel unmotivated. But that can have disastrous effects in the long run.
"Without that genuine support, it's hard to stay motivated, feel that you are part a larger team, and produce your best work," Taylor told Business Insider. "It's a downward spiral. You could stagnate in your career - unless you notice the signs and take decisive action."
They never ask you for input or ideas
If your boss or employer doesn't care about your ideas or opinions, they probably don't care much about you, according to Michael Kerr, an international business speaker and author of "The Humor Advantage."
Your boss doesn't offer any support, guidance, or feedback
If your boss doesn't take the time to offer any feedback, guidance, or support you as you work toward achieving your goals, it can be seriously detrimental to your career, Kerr said.
Taylor said if your boss seems primarily concerned with the tactical aspects of your job and project completion - and less so with whether you're advancing your skills or being challenged by your work - they probably don't care about your success.
You're not compensated fairly
You've asked for a raise, and you know your salary is below what's normal for your role and location.
But they refuse to budge to meet industry standards.
"An employer that's not concerned about what you can offer won't compensate you properly or fairly," Taylor said. "Even if you request a performance evaluation, you may be told it's not necessary, or just ask any questions you may have."
Monetary signs like this can be blatant red flags that you should start job searching, Taylor said.
You're passed over for a promotion you deserve
Almost two-thirds of workers say they've gotten passed over for a promotion.
Let's say you're doing excellent work that's superior to your colleagues - but someone less deserving gets a promotion you were in line for. That's a clear sign your company doesn't care about you.
Your calls for help or resources are ignored
A company that doesn't care about your well-being will largely ignore your requests for assistance or tools you need to deliver the best results, Taylor said.
It's hard to know where you stand
Are you a superstar or a super-dud? Taylor said companies concerned with business as usual or stepping around politics will likely never tell you.
"At companies that are political or more concerned with the bottom line, you will languish in a state of the unknown," Taylor said. "You can't get prompt answers."
But, according to Taylor, most employees would rather know that they're under-performing rather than not hear any feedback at all.
There's a lack of inherent trust
"For example, if your boss is more concerned about getting a doctor's note to justify your absence from work rather than asking about your health and what they can do for you, this obviously reveals concern for you only as a commodity," Kerr said.
Plum projects no longer come your way
You may suddenly lose a project you were handling, or you may no longer get those that relate directly to your expertise, Taylor said. That's not a good sign.
Your boss turns down your requests for better work-life balance
When you took the job, you didn't know you were also signing up for 60-hour workweeks.
You ask for a less time at the office, or for them to consider a work-from-home arrangement. If they refuse without even engaging in a conversation about it, Kerr said that's "a huge sign that they really don't care about your personal well-being."
Your boss bullies you
"When they use bullying tactics or give you ultimatums, you may have a problem on your hands," said Kerr. "Any threatening or intimidation style of behavior that is dismissive of your emotions and reactions means they really don't care about you as a human being."
You rarely find out about project outcomes
"One red flag is that you will contribute to a project, but after it's completed, you don't know what the results were," Taylor said.
"You may be fortunate enough to hear it through the grapevine, but you feel as if you are not part of a larger picture."
They don't include you in any decisions
It's an especially bad sign when your boss is making decisions regarding your career or workload without first consulting you, Kerr said.
You get important company news after everyone else
If you feel that you're the last person to hear about major company developments, you can easily feel that you don't count.
"You may hear things secondhand or by happenstance," Taylor said. "It can kill your morale when the event directly applies to your projects."
Your boss isn't interested in your personal life — at all
Some managers try to keep work relationships very professional and avoid talking or asking about your personal life.
But if you notice your boss asks your colleagues about their weekends, kids, or new puppies but not yours, then this is a bad sign, Kerr said.
You hear only from your boss when you screw up
Here's a big sign: You never hear praise from your boss when you do things well - which is 99% of the time. But if you make just the smallest error, you get an email or invited into their office.
"This is a key sign that they may be taking you for granted and only concerned about your work production," Kerr said.
Nobody wants to accept your help
Taylor said:
When you first sense these signs, your immediate reaction may be to contribute more and perform better - but even that may be met with resistance. Your boss seems to be circumventing you with no apparent cause. Unfortunately, when there is no explanation, the cause can be due to posturing or a land grab by managers who are rising stars, who want to see their own team members advance. Without the support of your manager, it's hard to swim upstream.
It's best to take action through direct communication, while you seek greener pastures, Taylor said.
They make demands of you during holidays or your time off
Does your boss not respect your weekends, vacations, or holidays?
Requesting that you stay in constant touch or finish a project without any concern for how it might affect your time off is a sign that they don't care about you, Kerr said.
They blatantly tell you they don't care about you
Some managers might tell you outright that you're replaceable. And don't take "some people would kill for your job!" as a compliment.
"Any comments such as these that treat you only as a commodity reflect a lack of genuine interest in your personal well-being," Kerr said.
They don't fight to keep you
When you tell your boss that you've been offered a job elsewhere, or that you're exploring other opportunities, they don't fight to keep you. Take that as the final sign.
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