When employees feel insignificant, motivation suffers, engagement stagnates and well-being declines. Today, data shows that close to 30 percent of workers feel invisible at work, 27 percent feel ignored and almost half feel undervalued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Feeling insignificant has a name. Psychologists call it \u201canti-mattering\u201d and it can be one of the most insidious forces in an organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That\u2019s why, as a leader, you should be aware of the five major experiences that lead to anti-mattering: the feelings of being unseen, unheard, unvalued, forgotten or dispensable; and commit to several actions to mitigate them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To be seen is to be noticed<\/em>, to have our presence, our experiences, and the ebbs, flows, and details of our lives acknowledged by others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When others pay attention to and remember us, our lives\u2019 hidden vividness and nuances become known.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To be unseen, though, is to be lost. Feelings of being unseen often arise from unintentional, yet insidious, acts of social ignorance: forgetting someone\u2019s name or how to pronounce it, not making eye contact, not asking for a colleague\u2019s unique perspective, not acknowledging someone\u2019s past experiences, not seeking to learn about someone\u2019s personal life, not checking in with a coworker you know is struggling or not telling someone you missed them when they were gone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are several actions you can take to ensure people feel seen:<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n When someone\u2019s voice is dismissed, discounted or devalued, they feel dismissed, discounted and devalued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are several ways we make each other feel unheard: dismissing someone\u2019s ideas, not responding, not asking for their opinion, not following up on feedback, telling someone they need more experience before weighing in, not giving them adequate time to express themselves or not demonstrating curiosity or interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To ensure people feel heard:<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n To be valued is to be considered important or beneficial. People feel unvalued when they feel unimportant and when they can\u2019t see how they\u2019re helpful or useful. While being unseen and unheard are key causes of feeling unvalued, others\u2019 behaviors can make it harder for people to see how they add value<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Feeling perpetually unvalued leads to increased stress, a higher risk of burnout, low motivation and the likelihood of leaving a job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To ensure people feel valued and can see how they add value:<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Regularly sensing that you\u2019re not seen, heard or valued can lead to feeling forgotten. People feel forgotten when others don\u2019t remember their names, don\u2019t ask for their opinions, don\u2019t notice they are gone, don\u2019t acknowledge their efforts or contributions to a team and don\u2019t express that they are missed when they\u2019re absent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some ways to make sure people feel remembered:<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n In ongoing research, we\u2019ve found that when people describe experiences of mattering, they most frequently talk about being given responsibility, being called on to act in a crisis, becoming a caretaker or being relied on by someone. Feeling needed is essential for feeling that we matter. To show everyone how they\u2019re needed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Unheard<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Unvalued<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Forgotten<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Dispensable<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Yet, too often, our organizations make people feel replaceable or like disposable resources. Skills may be replaceable, but human beings and their unique perspectives, personalities and strengths are never replaceable. Don\u2019t be surprised when people who feel replaceable start behaving that way. If people see themselves as just a resource, they will act like it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n