The True Cost of Feeling Undervalued

Picture this: You bust your tail 60 hours per week and find out you're paid 20% less than your peers. You talk to your manager who confirms this and he offers you coaching to ask for a raise -- from his boss. When you talk to her and she denies any gap in compensation after you lay out the facts, you know she's lying.

You've been sucker-punched. You feel as if you've gone to the moon for the company -- and they've let you down. You begin to question each over-night trip away from your family. "Was it really worth it?" You ask yourself.

The feeling of being undervalued doesn't scream loudly. It's like one thousand papercuts slowly nibbling away at your conscious over long periods of time.

"Once I made the decision to leave, all the pressure subsided. I just did my job while seeking my next opportunity."

It's what my mentor described to me when he was unhappy at his job because of a terrible boss.

Why do people leave?

Studies show that after compensation and development opportunities -- recognition comes in third. From a survey conducted of 484 employees, 35% of respondents left their organization because they didn't feel recognized.

Recognition and appreciation are two different things. You're recognized with a pat on the back or a shiny award. Appreciation however, means that your boss values you and appreciates your work. For the sake of this survey they are bundled together.

I was paid 20% less than my peers doing significantly more work. I wasn't seeking a big payday. Being underpaid made me feel undervalued.

In the Netflix documentary, Facing Nolan, they tell the story about Nolan Ryan and how he had one of the most decorated careers as a pitcher in baseball history.

They called him The Ryan Express because he consistently pitched over 100 mph and somehow the velocity of his fastball increased as he pitched into his 40s.

Nolan Ryan pitching

Nolan ranks first for all-time in strikeouts (5,714), fewest hits allowed per nine innings (6.56), and no-hitters (7).

He threw three more no-hitters than 3-time Cy Young award-winner, Sandy Koufax, his last one at the age of 44. He even helped the Mets win the World Series in 1969.

Through all of these accomplishments, the throughline of his documentary is that Nolan Ryan always felt undervalued by each organization he played for.

Hall of Fame hitters unanimously say that Nolan Ryan was the most feared pitcher in baseball. Pete Rose was quoted saying he gets the chills just standing next to him. His accomplishments speak for themselves. Yet Nolan never won the most prestigious award for a pitcher, not even once, in his career.

In 1973 Jim Palmer won the Cy Young over Nolan. With nearly identical wins and earned run averages, Nolan struck out an astounding 225 more batters than Palmer (383). Even baseball aficionados called it highway robbery.

Nolan, the first ballot Hall of Famer with troves of pitching records that will never be broken, was never appreciated by the writers and media who vote for the Cy Young Award.

What did Nolan do when he felt undervalued? He went to a different team. He became the first pitcher to make one million dollars and his compensation continued to rise. But whether he went to the Angels or Astros he didn't quite feel appreciated.

What's the lesson here?

Feeling undervalued at work whispers in your ear, it never shouts. It eventually bleeds into your relationships. You sound bitter. You don't want to go the extra mile. Work begins to feel transactional. Life's too short to feel miserable.

Take stock of what keeps you where you are. If you're not valued, under-compensated, or in a toxic work environment -- ask yourself what the likelihood is that it will change. Once you decide to leave -- and commit to the work required to make the change, things often fall into place. They always do.

-Omaid