Smart employee responds to manager's lack of recognition by applying for other jobs

 big problem faced by most employees at an organization is a lack of recognition. Even when they are punctual and ensure tasks are done correctly, they are given little to no recognition, after which nobody really cares. This can have a detrimental effect on an employee's mindset in the long term and can even lead to them looking for other options where they can grow. u/digitalUID shared their story of a manager who failed to recognize their efforts, prompting them to look at other employment options. 

u/digitalUID begins by stating that they have been attempting to get a promotion for the last four months, owing to their outstanding performance in every aspect of their data analyst job. They write, "While my manager has agreed with me on multiple occasions that 'they got a good deal on me,' she's been dragging her feet on getting me the recognition I deserve." The Reddit user realizes that the manager may have her own reasons for doing so, but mostly has a noticeable "insecurity over rustling feathers with the higher-ups." The individual states that she often lies to them by saying that she went to the senior members to vouch for their promotion. In addition to that, the sly manager also steals credit for the individual's work. These critical aspects came to light when the manager gave weird feedback during their mid-year review. The OP writes, "In one instance, she claimed that I was going too far above and beyond what our internal clients were expecting." Hearing this, the employee requested more details.

The manager also began to create arbitrary arguments by suggesting that other employees said that they could not understand the data. She was unable to provide a concrete example for this, as well. The situation starts to escalate with the manager slowly excluding the individual from many meetings and unnecessarily reworking their projects. Sickened by the manager's treatment, the employee starts doing the "bare minimum of what needs to be done to survive." Seeing how they treat well-performing employees, the individual smartly begins to focus their efforts on getting into a Master's program and interviewing for other jobs. u/digitalUID concludes by saying, "If this is how she wants to proceed in 'rewarding' her top performers, I'm out."

People on the platform were able to relate to the situation and posted their views in the comments section. u/larsloveslegos shared, "I can't believe she would sabotage the workplace, the business, but most importantly YOU!! I think you are wise to cut back and look for other work. I wish you the best." Another user, u/PlayedWithMatches, explained why this happens, "When you're really good at your job, they are reluctant to promote you because then they would have to find someone to replace you. This is why those who can't do it manage. This comes from over 30 years in IT." u/DofusExpert69 chimed in: "I had someone try to steal a friend's credit on huge success at the company they work for. Scummy as hell. Luckily someone called them out on it."

This article originally appeared on 8.24.23.