A new environment is always unfamiliar and sometimes, the unfamiliarity works against us and develops feelings of insecurities and anxiety in ourselves, these are called workplace insecurities. We experience these feelings at various points in our lives, whether it’s your first day at a new school, whether you just started college, or even when you start working for the first time, or shift to a new workplace after a long time.
Workplace insecurities may seem hard to deal with because unlike in school, there’s no one who will hold your hand through it all and give you time to fit in. You have to do this simultaneously with your new responsibilities and you can’t let these feelings get in the way of your work. By definition, workplace insecurities are feelings that professionals may have, that cause doubts about their performance, relationships, and even their goals in the workplace. It is important to know that these feelings are temporary and with time, there is a sense of comfort and trust that is built in the workplace, with coworkers as well. This comes with time because once you start gaining confidence in your own skills and understand the value of your work, and how it contributes to your company, you will automatically find more enjoyment in your job.
There are a lot of reasons why someone may feel insecure in a workplace, these insecurities can be about talent, income, qualifications, workload, feeling invisible, and some may even have a fear of dismissal. It is important to address these feelings before they consume you and affect your work performance and general lifestyle. For example, if you feel anxious over the amount of workload you have, and are having trouble catching up, you have to remind yourself that you’re doing your best. In terms of productivity, try again the next day if you can’t keep up with work today. Give yourself time and make a schedule instead of getting overwhelmed by it. Having an organized schedule always helps and allows you to keep track of your progress, which may help you feel more motivated to get more work done. If this doesn’t work, there’s no harm in talking to your manager or supervisor, because it is likely that they aren’t aware of the feelings you’re having and can then help you by delegating tasks to other employees and talking you through the entire process.
If you feel like you’re working hard but are not getting the recognition you deserve, there are ways to ask your supervisor for feedback, you could schedule a meeting and talk about your progress and ask them what they feel about it. You could also send them updates on a certain task or a project that you’re working on. A small amount of feedback or recognition goes a long way, so look out for little affirmations as well.
Sometimes, there are also feelings of anxiety and insecurity over workplace relationships that you have with your clients, coworkers, or managers. There’s a lot you can do to improve those relationships, and it is most important to have a positive attitude when you’re interacting with them. Treating them with kindness and respect will make them reciprocate the behaviour and will help in building trust. You could also ask your coworkers if they would be open to meeting outside the workplace, which would help make your interactions less formal and intimidating.
If you’ve just started working and you’re struggling at your first job, or even if you have work experience but are struggling at a new workplace, you need to remember to take everything as a learning experience and opportunity. If you’re lacking, don’t be discouraged by it, because you have to be the one to give yourself the benefit of the doubt, if nobody else is. It is important for you to remember that you’re there for a reason and that your work is valued, and at the end of the day, you’re trying your best. The goal is not to avoid these feelings of insecurities, rather, the goal is to tackle them in a way that you can leverage them.
