“I FEEL INVISIBLE AND IGNORED, AS IF NO ONE KNOWS I EXIST” -

A while back I was involved in a discussion with some colleagues in my network representing multiple businesses, and the topic was senior management engagement and support. One of my colleagues remarked “I feel invisible and ignored, as if no one knows I exist”, with regards to some members of their company's senior management. Others in the discussion admitted feeling the same way at times. That was a gut punch to me, that someone would share such a powerful sentiment. I’ve felt the same way at various times during my career at GE, where some of my contributions and efforts have been ignored or unappreciated. And I’ve talked to other ?employees who have had similar experiences at one point or another. It's a very toxic experience.

“I feel invisible and ignored, as if no one knows I exist.”

This is called “WORKPLACE OSTRACISM” - “The intentional or unintentional acts of ignoring, excluding, or rejecting individuals within professional settings.” Ostracism is a silent form of workplace harassment. In fact, According to a 2014 study by the University of British Columbia, “Being ignored at work is worse for physical and mental well-being than harassment or bullying.”

"We've been taught that ignoring someone is socially preferable -- if you don't have something nice to say, don't say anything at all," says Sauder Professor Sandra Robinson, who co-authored the 2014 study. "But ostracism actually leads people to feel more helpless, like they're not worthy of any attention at all."

According to a blog by Bravely:

““While purposeful ostracism with malicious intent does exist, it isn’t always the case. In?unintentional ostracism, people don’t mean to exclude others, or even realize they’re doing it.”

Unintentional Workplace Ostracism can occur when leaders are “too busy” to meet or engage with team members. Perhaps these managers aren’t comfortable with personal acknowledgement, so they avoid it. Or maybe these leaders believe in focusing on execution, and pay little mind to workplace culture and morale.

“I feel invisible and ignored, as if no one knows I exist.”

WHAT ARE TRIGGERS FOR UNINTENTIONAL WORKPLACE OSTRACISM?

-??LACK OF ACKNOWLEDGEMENT – Managers don’t personally engage their team members. Perhaps they feel they’re too busy, or it’s “not their style”. Such as People Leaders visiting a site and not making time for 1-on-1’s with direct team members.

-??LACK OF RECOGNITION – Managers don’t acknowledge an employees’ achievements, or areas of interest, because that doesn’t align with the managers’ goals and areas of interest. For example: Managers focused on execution goals while employees invest their free time in Employee Resource Groups or volunteer efforts.

-??LACK Of COMMUNICATION AND ACCESS – Managers don’t reach out to team members for their opinions, provide regular access for candid dialogue (like 1-over-1’s), or foster an environment of psychological safety. Say, there are only a handful of large annual engagements between senior leadership and employees, with no opportunity for candid Q&A or personal conversations.

A 2014 Prime study of 1,500 workers in six countries showed that people feel included when they “simultaneously feel that they both belong, but also that they are unique. Employees who feel included are “much more productive, their performance is higher, they are more loyal, they are more trustworthy, and they work harder,” says Christine Riordan, provost and professor of management at the University of Kentucky.

?WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF EMPLOYEES WHO FEEL IGNORED?

-?NEGATIVE EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL HEALTH - Employees who experience ostracism often feel emotional distress and isolation, sadness, anxiety, loneliness and frustration, potentially leading to anxiety, burnout, and depression.?

-?POOR TEAM DYNAMICS - Ostracism can lower team efficiency, even if only one team member is affected. It disrupts team execution, communication, and collaboration.

-?LOWER PRODUCTIVITY – Ostracism can trigger either a reluctance to work (“My contribution isn’t appreciated – why bother?”) or the complete opposite – a need to over-perform and engage in collective tasks at work. (“If I work longer and harder, my efforts will be appreciated.”)

-?INCREASED TURNOVER AND ATTRITION – Ostracized employees often feel so ignored and frustrated they feel there is no solution other to pursue a new place of employment.

WHAT CAN BE DONE TO ADDRESS UNINTENTIONAL WORKPLACE OSTRACISM?

1)?COLLECT FEEDBACK REGULARLY AND OFTEN - Regular employee surveys are good, but open up other opportunities for candid feedback. Set up 1-over-1 sessions. Team dinners or virtual team events. “Open Mic” sessions with psychological safety. Make that extra effort to personally contact each member of your team.

2)?DISTRIBUTE RECOGNITION EQUALLY – Don’t just reward the efforts that result in big sales wins or meeting business goals. Recognize great efforts on losing efforts as well. (Often the difference between capturing and losing a sale or contract has little to do with the quality of the work of the team.) And acknowledge the efforts of those involved in Affinity groups, employee councils, and other employee volunteer activities which contribute to workforce morale and team building.

3)?OVER-COMMUNICATE AND PROMOTE ENGAGEMENT – In meetings and discussions, seek the opinions of all team members, not just the loudest ones or those most senior. Ensure all have a voice, and consider, at the start of a meeting or at a checkpoint, to solicit the opinion of all team members, starting with the most junior employee, and working up the most senior employee, each given a chance to speak. Empower those with the best ideas.

4)?CHECK YOUR BIASES – Conduct self-reflection to consider whether you, as a manager, are limiting acknowledgement to what you hold important. Do you know whether your team members are fulfilled or happy in their jobs? Do you know their key KPI’s for work satisfaction? What makes them tick? What frustrates them? You should know.

“I feel invisible and ignored, as if no one knows I exist.”

From “The Silent Struggle: Ostracism at the Office” (Medium.com):

“Often, we avoid conversations about ostracism because they are challenging and uncomfortable. These conversations require us to question our own actions, whether intentional or not, and set aside our assumptions and biases. It is crucial to imagine how being ostracized by colleagues would make you feel and to address these issues with compassion and understanding.”

When employees acknowledge feeling invisible and ignored, warning bells should be ringing and action is needed.

For additional information, check out, “Workplace Ostracism: 7 Ways It Affects Your Employee Engagement” from SurveySparrow.com.