Do you ever feel that you aren’t receiving the recognition that you deserve for your work?

Have you ever wondered if your boss or manager is even aware of the contributions that you are making?

Do you feel underappreciated due to a lack of acknowledgement?

If you answered “yes” to these questions, you may relate to the 45% of workers polled by Globo Force who reported not receiving recognition in six months. Six months! Unfortunately, this statistic shows that going half a year without recognition is considered typical despite the negative impact that it has on morale, productivity and turnover.

As disappointing as the statistic is, the reality is that busy managers often forget the importance of recognizing their team’s accomplishments. Rather than getting upset that your manager isn’t praising you for your success, take matters into your own hands and change the way that recognition is given and received among your team members.

 

Change the office culture: It’s sad but true, some offices lack a culture that embraces employee recognition. If the culture of your company does not value acknowledgement of employee contributions, it’s time to make a change. Luckily, this is something that you can start modeling immediately. The next time you witness a team member succeed in any capacity, give them a compliment.

For example: “John, I enjoyed your presentation this morning. It was very informative and easy to follow.”

While simple, these compliments can change the culture of your company. Not only will you start receiving more compliments from your peers, but chances are that management will sense the shift in culture and adjust accordingly.

Give credit, take credit: Ideas and contributions can easily be overlooked in a team setting, especially if you are not an outspoken person. If you feel that you are constantly being railroaded by your more boisterous team members, don’t grow resentful of the recognition that they receive while you work behind the scenes. Instead, continue complimenting team members but give yourself a little credit as well. After all, your accomplishments are more likely to be heard while you are praising theirs.

For example: “Stacy did an amazing job as the point person on this project. She delegated tasks and listened to the rest of the team. I am so glad that she listened to my idea about _____, I think that it helped to _____.”

It’s sneaky, but it ensures that you are taking credit for your portion of the team’s success without going too far outside of your comfort zone.

Be gracious: How you act when you are given praise can impact the way that successes are acknowledged, and if they are acknowledged at all in the future. Be gracious, give credit to the team members who helped you, and shoot a compliment back in their direction. Model how to graciously accept recognition and you may notice an increase in the amount of praise you hear between coworkers and from managers.

 

The truth is that in order for change to happen, someone has to make the first step. If you don’t feel like you are receiving the recognition that you deserve, model the desired behavior, change your company’s culture from the ground up, give credit when it is due and take credit when it is deserved.