10 WAYS TO DEMONSTRATE YOUR VALUE AT WORK.

Esther A. Omomogbe

It is without gain-saying that the advent of the global pandemic, the covid-19 disease brought about a significant increase in the rate of unemployment in the world, especially in Nigeria. Lots of companies struggled to keep their heads above the water in 2020, therefore they had no choice but to lay off some of their workers as they could no longer afford to keep all of them.

With the unemployment rate still on the increase every day, the best way for you to secure jobs in Nigeria  as an employee is to show your employer that you are so important and they cannot just let you go. Here are 10 ways to help you demonstrate your value to your employer, and to constantly remind them that they cannot afford to lose you.

1. BE VALUABLE:

 The first and best way to demonstrate value at work is to actually be valuable. If your company needs to close a deal as soon as possible, do not act unconcerned, learn to spend extra hours when necessary. Always find ways to be productive at work, strive to be a part of the bottom line, make money for the company and you will most definitely be noticed and you will become an asset for the company. In short, use your time, skills. ideas, concept and resources to help move the company forward.

 “A value is valuable when the value of value is valuable to oneself” 

                                                             –Dayananda Saraswati

2. ALWAYS BE PUNCTUAL:

There is a common saying that “time is money”. believe me when I say there is a lot of truth in that. Whether it be the time you sign into work in the morning, the time you submit a report or even the time you finish a task, punctuality matters a lot. It is one of the best ways to demonstrate your value as you do not need to blow your own trumpet as both your employer and coworkers will see for themselves how valuable you are when it comes to being punctual. Meeting deadlines can be challenging sometimes, however, learn to manage your time

3. ALWAYS LISTEN:

Do not always be quick to display your knowledge. Nobody likes a person who shows off. You may know a lot, have a lot of experiences, however when someone else is speaking keep quiet and listen. People that listen tend to learn more than those that have opinions all of the time. You do not necessarily need to show off in the presence of your seniors or even your juniors before they consider you knowledgeable. Also, when you do not know something ask people, read books, or make researches on the internet or even do some job shadowing, but never pretend to know something you do not. It makes people question your genuineness. “The single most important key to success is to be a good listener” 

                                                                                – KellyWearstler

4. BE SMART AND CONFIDENT:

After learning to be a good listener, do not hesitate to put forward your view when necessary especially if it is a strong one. Also, be ready to defend your views, ideas or concepts and be ready to face criticism. While defending your point of view, be confident, however, do not be rude. Never be intimidated as your confidence will get others convinced and make them trust you. If you are naturally a shy person you can always work on ways to build your self-confidence. “As is our confidence, so is our capacity”

                                                                                              -William Hazlitt

5. EXCELLENT COMMUNICATION SKILL:

Communication is one of the most important soft skills in Nigeria that you need to be at the top of your career. Be fluent in both verbal and written form of languages used at your workplace as it is important. Learn the difference between face to face communication and e-communication. Also, communication is not only about speaking or writing fluently. It includes how you pass your messages across too, how easily your messages can be decoded, how easily your message is not being misunderstood. Excellent communication skill also includes maintaining eye contact, presenting one’s idea appropriately, mastering the art of effective listening among others. So if you want to demonstrate your value, communicate well with your coworkers, employers and even client/customers

“The most important thing about communication is to hear what isn’t said”

                                                                     – Peter Drucker                                                                               

 6. EXHIBIT GOOD CONDUCTS:

Try as much as possible to always behave well with your co-workers, do not be toxic, don’t be lazy, don’t start or join gossips, and do not be quick to always pick a quarrel. Always stop to think that with your current attitude to work, if you were your employer will you consider yourself an employee you should fire or you are an employee that even you won’t want to lose. Good conduct will always save you at your workplace. Apart from communicating well with people, build good relationships with people. 

 “The integrity of men is to be measured by their conduct, not by their professions”

                                                                               – Junius

7. ADAPTABILITY:

Even in life generally, change is constant and so is the workplace. Always be ready to adapt to changes. Be ready to take a lot of changes on and off the job. When asked if you can do something even though you can’t do them, be ready to learn. The world is going digital, take training to improve yourself. Self-development is the best development. Adaptability can also mean adapting to the personal behavior of your supervisor and other employees, so learn to tolerate everyone.

8. BE AN INNOVATOR:

Always be ready to think outside the box. Make sure to always find new ways to increase creativity at work by making researches. Always be ready to bring in new ideas that will benefit the company. Always be ready to defend those ideas because your employers or seniors might want to challenge your ideas to test your level of seriousness and enthusiasm so be ready with facts to back up your ideas or concepts. Remember, “Creativity is thinking up new things while innovation is doing new things”.

9. HONESTY AND INTEGRITY:

Employers will always value an employee who is honest and maintains a sense of integrity. Employees should understand that good relation are built on trust. Your supervisors or even your employers must be rest assured that they can trust what you say and do. The only way to make everyone trust you is for you to be reliable. Say the truth always.

“Integrity is telling myself the truth and honesty is telling the truth to other people”                                                          – Spencer Johnson

10. SING YOUR PRAISES:

You can also sing your praises however not too loudly. You must learn to speak for yourself sometimes. Make your supervisor understand the effort you put into doing your work and the result you produce. A little bit of bragging is welcome however too any trips to your boss’s office may work against you

Comments, suggestions and questions will be very much appreciated.