Your Boss Doesn’t Know You Exist—Now What?

You just made it through your performance review and were stunned that your boss completely missed more than half of your achievements and contributions from the past six months.

Or maybe you finally got a one-on-one meeting on your manager’s schedule, only to discover that they have zero clue what you work on day after day.

Or maybe you carried the load on a big project, but your name wasn’t even mentioned when the final product was presented to stakeholders.

Regardless of the specific circumstances, you’re left asking yourself this: Does your work actually matter? Does your boss even know you exist?

It might seem ridiculous—after all, it’s quite literally your supervisor’s job to stay in the loop on what you’re doing. Yet, flying under the radar is surprisingly common, with one in three workers admitting that they feel unheard or completely invisible at work. 

Unnoticed and Unappreciated: 4 Reasons Why Workers Feel Overlooked

How can this be possible? Your name appears on the org chart. You have a company email address. Heck, you’re on the payroll. So, how can your role and your output be so imperceptible to your manager?

As it turns out, it’s a nuanced issue—and there are several potential factors at play. 

1. Remote work reduces visibility

Flexibility has been the name of the game the past few years, particularly when it comes to where employees get their work done. When workers have the chance to work flexibly, a whopping 87% of them take advantage.

But while flexible arrangements offer benefits in terms of work-life balance, they can also “make it more difficult for managers to have visibility into daily tasks and accomplishments,” explains Jermaine L. Murray, a career coach who goes by “The Jobfather” and the founder of Jupiter HR. 

Additionally, remote work “often means employees have less organic interactions with their bosses and peers,” adds Sarah Thorpe Scott, Executive Coach and Partner at Evolution, a coaching, consulting, and investment firm. “This can negatively impact employees of companies that don’t have organized, top-notch organizational practices.” 

2. Physical distance leads to distant connections

Physical distance doesn’t just mean that your manager has less visibility into what you’re doing—it also makes it far more challenging for them to know who you are. 

Friendships have struggled since the pandemic mandated separation and space, and work relationships in particular still haven’t rebounded. Gallup research shows that friendship at work has been on a steady decline, with only two in ten employees saying they have a best friend at work. 

When loneliness is cited as one of the top challenges of working remotely, it’s proof that, despite the many benefits, it really is harder to forge strong connections when you don’t share space with your colleagues and your boss.

“It's very easy to get caught up in the everyday work grind and not listen or connect with others,” shares Cristina Espinal, Career Strategist and Coach at Play Big Careers. “Over time, this can make workplace relationships feel shallow and make people feel less important.”

3. Recognition has become the exception rather than the rule

It’s long been the plight of the early career professional: No matter how hard you work, you still feel overlooked and forgotten. You’re so low on the ladder that your contributions feel inconsequential and barely register with anyone higher up than you.

That’s why this feeling of invisibility is particularly pervasive among people in low-ranking or entry-level positions, and it’s taking its toll. While the mental well-being of older or more established workers has returned to pre-pandemic levels, younger workers are still struggling.

But while there’s a bit of an age divide here, lack of recognition is still a problem across the board. An alarming 67% of employed Americans say they don’t always feel appreciated for their contributions at work. It’s hard to feel visible and valued when your hard work consistently slips by unnoticed. 

4. Managers are burned out and overwhelmed 

It’s easy to point the finger at bosses here. They’re not adequately connecting, engaging or celebrating their direct reports. But in most cases, your boss’ neglect isn’t an issue of apathy—it’s an issue of overwhelm. 

Burnout is on the rise for everyone, but that’s especially true among middle managers: 43% of them report feeling burnt out, which is higher than any other work group. 

“The rapid pace of work and the volume of tasks can sometimes overwhelm leaders, making it challenging to keep track of individual contributions, especially if the work culture doesn't prioritize regular check-ins and feedback,” says Murray. 

How to Call Attention to Your Work (Without Feeling Weird)

In many organizations, all four of the above factors occur simultaneously. When that’s the case, it’s hard for employees to feel anything other than completely invisible.

But that doesn’t mean you need to resign yourself to feeling like nothing more than a number in a human resource management system. There are a few steps you can take to call more attention to your work and help your boss go from acknowledging you to appreciating you. 

1. Take initiative and speak up

While it’s tempting to have a defeatist attitude here (why bother working hard if nobody even notices, right?), your better move is to go the opposite direction: step up to the plate and become an even more vocal and active participant on your team.

Offer to chip in with a big project. Take on the groan-worthy task that everybody else has been avoiding. Speak up more in team meetings. 

“Actively engaging in and contributing to team initiatives not only showcases one’s skills and dedication but also strengthens workplace relationships,” Murray says. Just be mindful that you don’t spread yourself too thin—getting recognition shouldn’t require that you overwork and overburden yourself. 

2. Get on your boss’ calendar

“If you do not have a regular one-on-one meeting with your boss, you absolutely should schedule ASAP—and ideally, weekly—to make sure you have proper visibility,” Scott shares. 

This meeting is your recurring chance to connect with your boss about your challenges, questions, learnings and accomplishments. It’s the perfect outlet to get your contributions in front of your direct manager, while simultaneously benefitting from their guidance and demonstrating some humility (which is helpful if you’re worried about feeling braggy). 

If your manager is too swamped or noncommittal about one-on-ones, don’t get discouraged. This is another area where you can be proactive by sending “a weekly email to your boss summarizing three key achievements from the week, ideally that are aligned with your key performance indicators, what you plan to focus on next week, and offering your help where needed,” Espinal explains.

3. Keep a running list of your wins

There’s one thing that all of the career experts here agreed on: You need to keep a record of your achievements. 

As just one example, Murray recommends that his clients maintain a “Success, Failure and Learning (SFL) Log” where they can document every significant success or failure at work, along with lessons they took away from each experience. 

“By keeping such a log, individuals can objectively reflect on their contributions and growth over time,” he says. “When it's time to share these accomplishments, framing them within the context of continuous learning and team growth can help mitigate feelings of boastfulness.”

But to make the most of this record, you don’t just want it to be a long laundry list of what you did—you also want to emphasize why it mattered. “If you’re able to speak to the wider ripple effect of your accomplishment and how it helped others do important things, it can help underscore the importance of the accomplishment in a non-cringey seeming way,” Scott says. 

And if you can shine the spotlight on how it serves other people beyond yourself? That’s even better. “This way, it's about the positive change your work brings, making it easier and more rewarding to talk about your contributions,” Espinal adds. 

4. Forge relationships across your company

Networking seems like something you only need to pour time and energy into when you’re looking for a new job. However, forging connections with people across your company can help you build visibility within your organization.

Scott says that’s especially true if you focus on “influencing the influencers,” meaning making sure your work is visible to people who might influence your boss. “Be aware of who your boss trusts and respects and do what you can to make sure these people know what you’re doing, view you favorably, and are saying good things about you,” she adds, whether that means you seek out opportunities to work with them on projects or connect socially.

And while forging relationships with important or powerful people at work can be helpful, it shouldn’t be your sole focus. “Do be aware of those people, and also network with everyone,” Scott says. “The more people who you can connect with authentically, who understand who you are and what you do, the more visibility you’ll begin to have within an org.” 

5. Shift your mindset 

Accountability often feels closely related to punishment—it’s what you do when you have to take responsibility for something that went wrong. But accountability is just as much about taking ownership over the positives as it is about the negatives.

“I tend to hammer into people ‘You would be quick to own your mistakes. Why don’t you bring the same energy for your achievements?’” Murray says. That mindset shift can help you shine the spotlight on your contributions without feeling so self-aggrandizing.

Scott says it can also be helpful to get in touch with your underlying feelings attached to highlighting your work. “If you’re sharing your accomplishments because, at your core, you feel defensive and angry that you’re not being seen the way you want to be seen, that defensiveness and anger is likely to come through,” she says. “Even if these negative feelings are entirely fair, they probably aren’t going to help you in this context.”

Instead, Scott recommends focusing on a more positive intention, such as wanting to help other people in the organization understand your contributions so that they know how to use your strengths in a way that better serves the team. “Something like this will create a different kind of energy as you speak about accomplishments, and it will serve you—and the business—much better,” she adds. 

6. Celebrate others too

Another way to not feel arrogant or awkward when calling attention to your work? Genuinely and vocally celebrating the achievements of other people, including peers and maybe even competitors.

It’s easy to feel like applauding other peoples’ achievements will distract from your own. But Scott says that’s almost never the case and “you will likely be viewed more favorably by your boss and wider team if you are someone who can celebrate your own accomplishments and the accomplishments of others.” 

Helping Yourself Also Helps Your Manager

There’s no doubt that feeling completely invisible at work is demoralizing. Fortunately, you’re not totally powerless. Explicitly calling attention to what you do is one of the best ways to make sure you’re sufficiently recognized and appreciated.

Think that feels cringey and self-serving? It doesn’t have to be. At the end of the day, being organized and intentional about sharing your own achievements helps your boss too.

As Scott concludes, “Leaders want their direct reports and wider teams to be performing well, so getting clear specifics about what is going well is hugely helpful for leaders and they delight in being able to share these wins with their own managers and other stakeholders.”

After all, your own performance reflects right back on your boss. So think about it this way: You’re not just highlighting your own accomplishments—you’re also highlighting your manager’s ability to lead well.