Working hard and investing your time and talent in to developing something to be proud of at work is what every employer wants from their employees. But what if all your efforts were credited to your boss or one of your colleagues instead. To say you would be frustrated with others taking the credit for your work would likely be an understatement.
Everyday employees are faced with challenges such as this. It might leave you feeling unappreciated, demotivated and angry. So how do you cope and how can you turn the situation to your advantage.
Identifying the situation
First of all you need to identify the issue. For instance, you might notice someone presenting your ideas as their own or claiming credit for a report, analysis, or work objective that you led.
Before you react, be sure that what you’ve observed is really as it seems. For instance, the other person may feel they contributed as much to the outcome as you or they may be communicating your ideas and not taking credit. Make sure you explore what you believe to be taking place before you react. To do this you need to manage your emotions.
Manage your emotions
Emotional intelligence is important in any area of business, but when you are trying to keep your own emotions in check it comes in to its own. By understanding your emotional triggers you can take command when the impulse to let rip takes over. By understanding the emotions of those around you, you can exploit the circumstances to achieve the best outcome for you. For instance, you can choose the optimal moment and approach to discuss the matter with the other person. How you communicate your frustrations is the next crucial step.
Communication Strategies
Before you start communicating your frustrations you need to break down what they are. You would also need to consider the situation from the other persons point of view.
For instance, if you led a project, came up with all or most of the ideas and spent many hours doing the work, you may believe this part is easy. However, you would need to also consider the contribution of others and why the project was a success. It may have been the presentation of the project findings that sold it to the bosses or won the contract, etc. Or it may be other aspects that you haven’t taken account of.
Once you’ve done this you’ll be in a better position to speak constructively with the person you believe to be taking credit for your work.
The approach your choose to use when communicating your frustrations with the other person will be influenced by who the person is.
If your boss is the culprit you might ask for a short meeting. During the meeting you would talk about the project and why the other person feels it was successful. You would then possibly outline your contribution and discuss whether your work was credited when mentioning the project to more senior management.
You might mention the level of effort you invested, pride in your achievement and how demotivating it was to not be recognised. It could be your work addressed an aspect of your bosses responsibilities so he or she saw your achievement as his or her achievement. Discussing the matter with your boss enables him or her to understand the situation from your point of view.
If the other person taking credit for your work is your colleague you will need to choose your moment carefully and follow the same steps as with your boss. If your colleague feels their contribution was greater than you recognise, they may have felt justified in taking credit. The first step is to understand their position and make sure they understand yours.
The next step may be to discuss the matter with your boss if it is causing you stress. However, if you choose to do this it would always be more convincing if you are able to evidence your claim.
Documenting your contribution
Keep notes and evidence of your work. If you are creating, innovating, working diligently and delivering, you have a right to be recognised for that. The more evidence you have of your contribution, the stronger your position in asserting that if it is in contention. If you need to make a case to your boss you need evidence, so collect it.
Acknowledge but don’t boast
If you want to avoid the anxiety of someone else taking credit for your work make others aware. Don’t boast or show boat, but don’t be shy to take credit. There is no point being modest if you want others to recognise you for your contribution.
And finally…
Being appreciated for your talent and dedication in the workplace is something anyone would want. If you don’t feel you are getting the recognition you deserve take steps to ensure you’re not overlooked for your achievements in the future. If you take charge of your emotions and reactions you will eventually take charge of the situation.