Ask Ash

Dear Ash,

I am a really hard worker and I readily put in long hours at work whenever it is needed. However, I do not like blowing my own trumpet and I tend to underplay how stressed and overworked I am to my boss, as I feel that I am paid to just get on with it rather than complain. Unfortunately, I have noted that a couple of my colleagues, who don’t necessarily pull their weight when it comes to doing additional hours, always tend to moan about the number of emails they have to deal with and how busy they are. Interestingly, they tend to talk loudly about this whenever the boss is in earshot. I didn’t think that such bravado would have much impact on my boss; however, at the recent team meeting, my boss made a point of highlighting the hard work and effort put in by my colleagues and seemed to ignore my efforts! I don’t want to have to make a conscious effort to start impressing my boss and want my work to speak for itself.

Ash replies:

Although I empathise with your frustration at your colleagues, I have to say that they are merely doing what most savvy employees tend to do, which is to promote themselves in order to ensure that they are recognised for their work. Although you undoubtedly seem to work very hard, you also need to ensure that you seek recognition for this too, as otherwise you are making yourself effectively invisible in the workplace.

Alongside hard work and dedication, it is also increasingly important for employees to make an effort to promote themselves in the workplace and to get the recognition that they deserve.

You don’t necessarily need to adopt the tactics being deployed by your colleagues, but you do need to become more visible and you need to make your boss aware of the efforts and hard work you are inputting. I suggest that you could begin this process by perhaps setting up a regular update meeting with your boss to allow you to confirm the work you are doing. This will hopefully allow you to step out from the shadows without necessarily feeling awkward; and hopefully allow you and your boss to begin to realise your full potential. Remember that your colleagues can inflate or exaggerate their efforts as much as they like, but in the end, your boss should be able to distinguish style from substance.

Send your queries to Ash

“Ash” is a solicitor who is willing to answer work-related queries from solicitors and trainees, which can be put to her via the editor: peter@connect communications.co.uk, or mail to Studio 2001, Mile End, Paisley PA1 1JS. Confidence will be respected and any advice published will be anonymised.

Please note that letters to Ash are not received at the Law Society of Scotland. The Society offers a support service for trainees through its Education, Training & Qualifications team. For one-to-one advice contact Katie Wood, head of admissions on 0131 476 8162, or by email: KatieWood@lawscot.org.uk