How to deal with being ignored at work

Tunohole Mungoba
You're in a team meeting, hashing out how to resolve an issue that everybody has been repeatedly battling with.

Knowing that your voice isn't heard is enough to make you ball up your fists and clench your jaw, and it's made even worse by the feeling that you're totally helpless. What can you do aside from apparently try to speak louder?

Well, here's the good news: There are a couple of things you can try when nobody listens to you at work:

The Moment You Feel Ignored: Advocate for Yourself

The moment that you feel like your idea isn't being given the consideration it deserves; don't be afraid to gently push for a continued conversation. Meet those noncommittal “maybes” with some thoughtful questions, such as:

It'll be a lot harder for people to leave your idea in the dust if you're forcing them (respectfully, of course) to consider it.

Go ahead, speak up and ask something like, “Can you explain how that's different from what I suggested in last week's meeting?”

After You Speak Up: Approach Your Supervisor

When you're used to having your ideas steamrolled or forgotten, speaking up in that way can feel a little aggressive and, your team members might even be a little taken aback by the fact that you're suddenly standing up for yourself.

Afterwards, it's smart to approach your boss for a brief one-on-one conversation. During that chat, you can explain that you hope you didn't come off as too forward, but that you want to make sure that you're heard and able to make a valuable contribution to your team.

When Nothing Is Changing: Start Your Hunt

You've done everything you can think of. You've spoken up and advocated for your ideas in team meetings. You've sat down with your boss (a couple of times, actually) to explain to her that you feel like your contributions aren't being given equal weight.

And yet, absolutely nothing is improving. You still feel just as ignored and unheard.

Here's the brutal truth: It's probably time for you to start looking for a workplace where both you and your ideas are valued. You deserve that much.

So, if you truly do feel like you'll continue to go unnoticed in the office despite your best efforts to change that, it could be a sign of a larger problem within the organization, as opposed to something to do with you specifically.

- www.themuse.com