You did the work; it’s time to be acknowledged for it
While there are plenty of managers who reward the workers who do the best work, there are numerous others who hand out the cash, compliments and career-defining titles to those employees who make the most noise about what they’ve done. That means you’ll have to remain in the background. After all, touting your own work is something you’ve never been good at. Worry not, humble employee. There are still several ways to let others know about your work without standing on your desk and shouting it to the masses. Here are a few suggestions:
Email before, during and after: Tell your boss what you’re going to do, what you’re doing and when you’ve done it. Not only do you give him gentle reminders about the work you’re putting in behind the scenes, you’re also making sure no one else can sneak in and take credit for your work. You know who I’m talking about — the coworker who says things like “Oh, we spent a lot of time on that” during departmental meetings, obscurin g the fact that “we” means “you” and “a lot of time” means “no time at all.”
Work with allies: Find other members of your team, especially those who will benefit from your work, and let them know what you’re doing. They’re usually happy to let their managers know about some extra work from within or outside their department. Not only does it show synergistic effort on their part, it also proves to their bosses that they are willing to promote the work of others, always a welcomed tra it for prospective managers.
Put your name on it: Go ahead and do a little branding. Signing off on something isn’t needless bragging. It’s an essential part of staking a claim. “Potential 2024 Clients by Brian Smith” is a nice PowerPoint title. “Sarah Gold’s Waste Assessment” is a simple and honest name for a proposal. It’s your work. Take credit for it.
Tell others: One of the worst ways to lose credit for a project stems from the originator’s inability to share the work with others. While it’s important to let your boss know, share your work with appropriate coworkers when possible. It can be as simple as an email stating “Here’s something I worked on I thought you might be interested in.” When you spread the word about your work, it makes it that much harder for the creditseeking missile in your office to put their name on the work.
Put it in your review: Any effective and important additional projects should become part of your permanent record. Men tion them in your self-assessment. At the very least, you’ll be on record stating what you’ve done.