Having visibility in the workplace is important for our careers; it demonstrates our expertise and builds credibility. However, we aren’t all comfortable shouting about our achievements. So, how can we be visible in the workplace to ensure we feel valued, get the recognition we deserve, and don’t miss out on promotions or a place on a new project? Victoria Pedley and Anne Claire from our Gender Equity team facilitated a company-wide discussion recently about visibility in the workplace. Here are our 10 takeaways.
- The person who shouts the loudest is often considered the most visible but the loudest voice doesn’t always mean the best voice. People who are naturally quieter shouldn’t feel they have to change their behaviour – it’s incumbent on everyone in the workplace to ensure all voices in the room are heard.
- Figure out what you want from your career. Once you’ve done this, you can work out who you need to be visible to and how they can help you to get there.
- Make people aware of how you want to progress your career and understand how others can help you. Speak to your role models and those who are best placed to help you achieve your goals. Asking for help is not a weakness, even if you’re a senior member of a team.
- On the flip side of this, we need to help others achieve their ambitions. This means making time to listen to other people and helping them to spot the right opportunities.
- Help to raise your profile by putting yourself forward for projects in areas you may not have experience in.
- Learn new skills to stretch yourself and achieve your goals. This will demonstrate that you want to improve.
- Champion each other’s successes. Often, we’re not good at shouting about our own personal achievements, but it’s easier to shout about someone else’s. This will also help those who aren’t naturally good at shouting about themselves.
- Always try to be authentic. Men and women don’t have to display aggressive qualities to get a promotion or more pay. Women do not need to have a cutthroat attitude towards their work or colleagues to achieve their goals.
- For people working on a remote solo project or from home, remaining visible can be tough. In this situation, think about how you can create visibility and have a number of communication channels open. Also consider opportunities wider than your immediate team to become visible.
- Reading the room is a useful skill. Understanding the environment you operate in will help you to decide how best to present yourself.
We don’t all want to be senior leaders; a company full of people who want to climb the greasy pole is a difficult one to manage. But being visible isn’t just about getting a promotion or a pay rise, it’s about feeling valued and appreciated for the hard work we put in. Retrospective conversations about how a project went, calling out good work, and identifying how we can improve for the next project will also provide a platform to help recognise individuals who aren’t necessarily chasing a promotion. It’s worth saying that while individuals can help themselves, a company’s culture and environment also make a huge difference. A people-focused culture will allow every person to be visible in their own way and reward certain types of behaviours that help to build a collaborative team.