Unappreciated and Passed Over for Advancement at Work?

I’ve been in my job for the past 10 years and I’m in a place of feeling like I don’t get the level of support or respect in my job that I deserve. I don’t feel supported when implementing new ideas. I’ve always been one to go above and beyond with my job. I will stay late while others just show up, but no one seems to notice, and I keep getting passed over for advancement. It’s becoming hard to work in this place that feels negative to me. What can I do?

There seems to be a lot of the ole, being taken for granted going on here. If you’ve been consistent with your habits of giving extra, your bosses have probably just come to expect that from you. It’s nothing new that you put in more time and effort on the job. Yes, it has to feel frustrating that you are getting passed over for advancement, but let’s talk about the two key points you make.

First, you feel unappreciated for what you do at work. Let me say, I hear this quite often from my callers and have even felt this myself. We all like to be told thank you for the work we do, but the reality is that you can’t hold fast to expecting that all of a sudden your bosses are going to wake up and give you a pat on the back each day you show up for work. Maybe it’s that expectation that this is your job, this is what is expected from you, and you’re getting paid to do this. Whatever dynamic is at play here, you can be proactive by finding little ways to make sure your bosses do know what you’re doing to go the extra mile. A good time to put this in front of them is when you are up for review or a raise or advancement. That’s the best time to toot your own horn and present documentation or examples of your efforts.

Second, you wonder why you’re getting passed over for advancement. Why do you think that is? Did the person who got the job have a skill set you don’t have? How does their work experience and work history compare to yours? What is their level of education? What people skills do they possess that you might not have? What management skills?

I hate to tell you this but just having your butt in the chair for extra hours a day isn’t enough. Who cares how many hours you work if those extra hours don’t equate to something positive and productive for the company? What are you doing when you stay late? Are you having to stay late because you are inefficient and waste time?

Sorry to throw such hard questions at you but in order to make change, you’re going to have to sit yourself down and take an honest look at the part you play in this negative work environment. I’m confident that you can find a way through this negativity, even if it means looking for a new job.

Listen to the podcast of Lisa who talks about her decision to “Leave a Toxic Job”.