Adding value in the work place.

Very few employees think of adding value to an establishment when they are employed. What they commonly think about is what they can get out of the organization. But value addition is the key to promotions. Your CV stops being impressive when you receive your employment letter. What your superiors would be looking for is the value you bring on the job.

This is why there are some organizations that are not particular about the class of your result from university, but they employ staff based on a ‘hunch’ or ‘feel’ of the person.

It is a corporate sin to leave a job the way it was given to you. In other words, when you are given a job or an assignment, you are expected to make a difference. Too often, when we take on positions we never explore new ways to tackle our assignments. We follow the same pattern of our predecessors and so we make no improvements or difference.

Your performance of a task is far more important than the salary or allowance that you are paid. This is because long after the salary is gone your performance will be speaking for you. Performance ensures that you rise in an organization. It also advertises you for future job opportunities. Our focus must therefore be removed from our pay packet to being relevant on the job. Anybody can earn a salary, but not everyone is relevant in an organization. It is your performance that makes you relevant and keeps you in the view of your management for promotions and salary reviews.

Apply yourself to the task at hand and do not just go through the motion of work. Use initiative and think outside the box to achieve quick and inexpensive results.
It is a common saying that no one is indispensable, but the reality is that there are certain people that management would be sorry to see leave. These are people who must of necessity be consulted before a decision is made in an organization. They are not necessarily the owners of the organization or the CEOs, but the performers – the people who are relevant and add value.

In our pursuit for job satisfaction or fulfillment we must work hard towards excellence in value addition. It is when you have given your best to your job that you really feel good about your self.

The fact is even if you are not paid handsomely for your contributions on the job today, the future is bright for you as you have developed capacity. Some day the job that truly deserves you will come your way.

Be guided by the fact that our career journey is divided into seasons. Some seasons are ‘learning curves’; others are planting seasons and yet others are harvest times. The ‘learning curves’ and planting seasons are seasons when you may feel ‘used’ because they are times when your contributions into the organization is not commensurate with your wages, but if you persevere in adding value and building your capacity, soon harvest season will open up for you – not necessarily at your present place of work, but elsewhere too. (Gen 8:22)

There are employees that are merely being tolerated by their management. Let’s face it – if your employers need to downsize about 20% of their work force today, do you think they would have any qualms letting you go?

When you are a value adder, employers would do everything in their power to keep you. But the first set of people to go when the need for downsizing arise are those who do not add value.

The key to relevance in the work place is to take ownership of your duties and responsibilities. In other words, do not work as an employee, but work as an employer on your assigned role. For instance, if you are a secretary, work like a CEO in that position. This is an attitude adjustment. Do not think like the help, but think like a boss in your position. This attitude adjustment helps you build confidence and a desire to apply yourself beyond the call of duty. Discover smart ways of performing your duties and strive to see that you are the best at your task. Do not hold back your potentials and skills because you are under paid, this will only make your position more insecure as your performance would be mediocre. And of course a mediocre performance will never motivate management to increase your salary.

Remember that it is not only the salary that is the issue, but also the need for building capacity. Let this fact motivate you to give your best and much more to where you are working right now and when the time is right, you will get the right job with the right pay.

-Written by Ebiye Tammy-Koko