Management invisibility is an insidious behavior that can affect your entire workforce and your company as a whole. Invisibility can take many different forms. When it occurs, employee retention and recruitment can plummet, absenteeism rates increase, and both performance and quality of results decline. This distance reinforces the feeling that employers care less and less about the well-being of their employees. In fact, reports show that “fewer than one in four U.S. employees feel their company cares about their well-being—the lowest percentage in nearly a decade.” This perception of the workforce has consequences for every company, especially in the area of ​​employee retention, as the report states, for example, “Employees who feel their employer cares about their well-being are 69% less likely to actively look for a job.”

Not only does executive invisibility negatively impact employees, it can also affect leaders. Some executives stay in their offices because they are so busy. The office can become an ivory tower that traps and isolates them. Other leaders struggle with imposter syndrome or fear of failure and often hide their true selves. All you know about these leaders is their biography. They rarely speak or interact with you unless they need information or data.

Employees can also be invisible whether they are working from home or in the office. They stay at their desks, do not turn on their screens during meetings, and only interact with others when absolutely necessary. One form of employee invisibility is quietly quitting.

Here are 5 ways to recognize if invisibility is negatively impacting your workplace and how to stop it:

1. Increase visibility by investing your time wisely.
Many leaders think allocating time to their employees in a town hall meeting is enough. However, this thinking lacks foresight and misses the bigger picture. If you’re a leader, everyone assumes you’re busy. And you may be, but what are you busy doing? Are you maximizing your time by focusing on your most important asset, the people in your organization?

Your employees need to see and interact with their leaders at all levels. Whether the workforce is working remotely, hybrid, or on-site, employees need leaders who are present and engaged. Talk to each other, listen to each other, find out what employees are doing at work and at home, and share a little about themselves. That five-minute conversation between colleagues or with a leader will make the employee feel seen, valued, and heard.

2. Make sure your words and actions are consistent with reliability and accountability.
Communication is important. Sometimes what people say is not what others hear. Be clear in what you say, explain what you mean, and then follow through. For example, when leaders tell employees they will invest in them, employees may believe they mean bonuses, even though the leader is referring to technology. And make sure you can back your words up with actions, whether it’s about budget or authority. People believe what they see and feel. If a leader’s words aren’t followed by actions, that leader isn’t seen as reliable or accountable, and there’s no way to build trust.

3. Recognition and validation are crucial.
Have you ever noticed what happens when a person receives recognition for one of their actions? There is a noticeable change – a slight shift in posture, a genuine smile, and a visible increase in confidence. Unfortunately, managers and colleagues often neglect to show each other sufficient appreciation and recognition in the workplace.

Saying a simple “thank you” or “great job” and praising the work of the people on your team goes a long way to boosting the morale of your people. These words show that you, as a leader, know and appreciate what your team does. The critical part of this action is relating their actions to the impact on others, including colleagues and customers. Leaders and colleagues need to do this not only personally, but also publicly in the organization and nominate individuals for awards and recognition. These actions communicate the person’s value and impact while demonstrating your awareness and appreciation as a leader.

4. Listen and participate.
Leaders can gather suggestions or ideas on specific topics and find ways to implement some of them. This is one of the easiest ways to build credibility with employees. Employees often see inefficiencies in processes that leaders don’t. When a leader takes an employee’s suggestion and implements it, it can have a positive impact throughout the organization. It not only communicates that leadership is open to different approaches, but also that leadership recognizes the value of employees.

5. Take care of each other and respect each other.
When peers and leaders convey that they care and respect employees, they receive care and respect in return. Leaders, don’t delegate your authority to HR or other leaders. When leaders think employees are the responsibility of HR or other leaders, employees will believe the leader and the company don’t care or respect them. Of course, there are certain issues that HR is responsible for, but engaging, investing in, and caring about employees as people is the job of leaders. When employees, managers, and leaders feel undervalued, unappreciated, and unheard, they feel invisible and unimportant. This will impact their job performance and affect the company’s bottom line.

A study by Robert Half found that nearly half (48%) of workers today feel undervalued. However, according to Gallup, employees who feel valued and recognized are 69 percent less likely to look for another job, 71 percent less likely to suffer from burnout, and five times more likely to say their workplace is the best and hire new employees. Employees become visible when they are recognized and noticed by their managers and organizations.

Employees, managers and leaders are people, and as such we are all human beings. Deep down we need to matter. Feeling like we matter to each other goes a long way in combating leadership invisibility in the workplace.

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Relational Leadership and Management Authority Cheryl L. Mason, JD is a TEDx speaker, author and CEO and Chief Catalyst of Catalyst Leadership Management — a company that helps CEOs, executives, organizations and teams lead authentically and compassionately, using strategy, analytics, vision and change management to achieve record-breaking results. As the fourth Presidentially appointed and Senate-confirmed person—and the first woman and spouse of a service member—to serve as CEO/Chair of the VA Board of Veterans’ Appeals, the Honorable Cheryl L. Mason has a proven track record of leading with an impactful, morale-boosting, trust-based and people-centered approach. Mason is also the author of the acclaimed book “Dare to Relate: Leading with a wild heart “ centered on Maintaining strong relationships among employees, It can be reached online at www.catalystleadershipmgmt.com.