We all have some type of value assigned to us based on what we contribute to the team. Some of us overestimate our value and others underestimate the value we add. It is unfortunate when we add value and our contributions are devalued because of a mistake or error that is part of a learning curve, but instead it is treated as a heinous crime for which we are culpable until the end time.
How you can be devalued
Background checks: When your contribution is devalued by powerful stakeholders in your organization, so is your marketability. This becomes crystal clear if you decide to shop for another job. Typically, what happens is that your potential employer contacts your current or last employer who is less than complimentary. This causes you to become less competitive and perhaps lose the desired job offer. Eventually, you end up settling for less because you now have to rebuild your value or brand. Unfortunately, a simple background check can completely devalue an employee after they invested in career and personal development.
Performance Management: When managers rate employees for the most recent period of their performance, there are some who are not as disciplined as they should be with collecting factual information. Sadly, because these managers are working from memory they may allow the most recent negative experience with the employee to carry disproportionate weight in the rating process. While sometimes this may be appropriate, at other times this approach inappropriately discounts the full value of the employee’s contribution for the entire year.
Promotions: There are some situations where decisions are made about promoting or developing employees. In the decision making meeting, someone states that an employee made an error 10 years ago that caused a loss. This information was mentioned despite the facts that the employee is a consistently strong performer who never made the error again. The potential cost of vetoing the opportunity for the employee is that the employee may migrate to another company because their career is being stagnated by an historic bias.
Resignation of High Potential Employees: Some employees’ results are above average and they demonstrate the capacity for growth within the company. As a result, these high performing employees and their managers enjoy comfortable co-existence. Then a better job offer comes along and the employee decides to resign because they have not been given adequate opportunities for development by their current employer. Remarkably the perception of the employee shifts from a celebrated performer to a betrayer because the employer invested time and money in the employee and now another company will benefit from the total investment. As a result, the strong performer experiences rejection and devaluation before and after their departure.
Speaking Up: Devaluation can happen when an employee expresses a point of view that contradicts the opinion of their leaders. This is because the employee making the statements is perceived as a threat because they are not being compliant but in another environment, the same statements may be viewed as creative or insightful.
Positive Bias: There are times when a bias is positive to the point of being inflationary. In cases like these, the employee or manager may only have high value in their current work environment because of a culture that rewards anomalous behaviours. If the atypical behaviour is the last act for which the employee is rewarded, when the employee migrates to another company they may have difficulty maintaining their high performing status.
The Costs of the “Last Act” Phenomenon
When employees realise they are as good as their last act, they may become very conservative and focused on doing things right all the time. This slows down productivity.
Others decide it is impossible to do things right all the time so instead of spending time doing things right, they spend time managing the perception that things are being done right. Managing perceptions is hard work so they are even prepared to sacrifice vacations to ensure nothing defamatory surfaces. In situations like these, self-preservation is the highest priority so transparence is sacrificed and this can lead to unwanted surprises for decision makers.
Neutralising the “Last Act” Effect
If being as good as your last act is a cultural norm, leaders and other cultural architects may want to consider the alternative view that mistakes are opportunities to learn and start to ask questions to determine if the employee developed since the mistake.
It is also important to understand how the culture of your company may be contributing to losing good people so you can design and implement new policies and practices. For instance, instead of feeling betrayed after employees resign, develop a succession plan and talent management strategy designed to retain your best employees. High performers generally need deeper developmental opportunities than the planned annual seminars so talent management is essential to retention.
Another opportunity is to develop employees and managers so that they can communicate effectively with each other, embracing diverse points of view with the goal of creating a more holistic solution.
Manage Your Value
As an employee, you should manage your value or your brand and understand when you are being deliberately or unintentionally devalued so you can take proactive steps. You may choose to remain with your employer, but before you do, take the time to weigh the risk of being further devalued versus the possibility of building your value.
Yvette Bethel is CEO of Organizational Soul, an HR Consulting and Leadership Development company. If you are interested in exploring how you can create higher performing team leaders, you contact her at www.orgsoul.com.