Do You Feel Cherished/Important at Your Job?

**forHISglory** · 01-04-2009, 02:11 PM

I was talking recently about how I am very blessed to have always worked at jobs where I have felt cherished. My employers and fellow workers have given me support and encouragement, and made me feel needed and important. My superintendent and principal would ask my opinion or advice on some matters, and treated me with great respect.

But some talked about how their employers would not even know them by name or face, how they were just a cog in the mechanism. Others talked about outright hostility and meanness in the workplace. They felt as though no one really cared about them on the job, nor did they feel important to the company's or institution's success. Some of the group said that because I work in education, that I was in a sheltered environment where it was easy to feel important. I'm not sure that is true.

How about you? Do you feel cherished and important at your job? What has happened that makes this so? Or do you feel like a nobody? Again, what makes this so? Can you share your experience and story? Have you ever taken time to help a fellow employee feel cherished? If you own a business or are a manager, how do you make your employees feel cherished and important?

**emily_hope** · 01-04-2009, 03:03 PM

I do feel cherished and important at my job. I am a Cosmetologist and, of course, work with the public. I have many clients who really do make me feel like I am special, and I am supposed to be making them feel special. Some have even become good friends of mine. I have clients that come to me on a bi-weekly, monthly, bi-monthly basis, and I really get to know a lot about them and they get to know a lot about me as well. I have worked in the same shop for over 19 years and have been doing some of my clients for that same amount of time. They have watched my children grow up LOL! I enjoy my job... most days LOL! As for my employer and coworkers... I was the last one to come to work at this shop, so we've all been together for over 19 years. We are like a little family. A home away from home. We know so much about each other and have been through so much together. There are 4 of us, including the owner and it does amaze me sometimes that 4 women can get along so well LOL! We have clients that stop by just to talk or to have lunch with us. It's a wonderful life!

**The Muse** · 01-04-2009, 03:18 PM

I feel important, but not cherished. I'm a very important part of what my company does online, but if I were to leave, they'd find someone else to do it.

**Paquita** · 01-04-2009, 03:34 PM

Yes! I have been at this job just five months and I love working here. As an example, one of my co-workers was diagnosed with breast cancer recently. We (my area) gathered in the conference room and she told everyone. Our manager went to her doctor appointment. The manager and our company chaplain went to the hospital the day of surgery. Several people offered to keep her kids as long as needed, she is divorced. Two offered to come to her house and help with things like bathing if she needed. I plan to stay here until I retire!

Paquita

**jacqueline** · 01-04-2009, 03:36 PM

i agree with muse....it doesn't matter how much you do or how much of yourself you put into it.... u are dispensable. there's always another warm body.

**LexTysMommy** · 01-04-2009, 03:37 PM

I do daycare from home. For about 8 years. There are times I think the parents cherish me, and other times I feel like I get walked all over, with no real appreciation. The childern however cherish me daily, and that in itself is enough to keep me going!

**Nishu** · 01-04-2009, 03:55 PM

I'm a stay at home mom... and I have to say that I do feel cherished and important.

I don't think it was always this way though. It took me a while to get over the loss of the military career that I was looking at before I got pregnant. When I finally decided to embrace my life as a stay at home mom and throw my heart into it rather than see it as a hindrance to what I could be achieving, I started to feel that what I did made a difference. It's not just an attitude I have toward my children and my husband, but to my place in society as well. For some reason, now that I'm confident that I'm right where I need to be, I never notice people having the "Oh, you don't work" attitude that I used to get. Sometimes I wonder if I was just projecting?

I may be too optimistic, but I think that applies to whatever you do. Maybe you're a doctor or maybe your work at a gas station or maybe you sell steak knives for a living... But a whole person is not that sum of the little jobs they do. We can pay someone to do the dishes, sweep the floors or watch my kids. Everyone can be replaced in that respect. You can't put a salary on a warm smile, a good attitude and a sense of community. And it's nearly impossible not to return those feelings when someone else is radiating them.

And that is probably why you always feel cherished, I think.

**lmbaker520** · 01-04-2009, 03:55 PM

I do feel important/cherished at my job. I think that some of this feeling stems from the fact that I have an awesome boss. He cares about his employees, trusts us and tries to make the best working environment possible. I am the Project Manager for the main software system at the University that I work at and it can be a very stressful job sometimes. My boss knows this and tries to keep things going as smoothly as possible for us.

I am an important part of the process with what I do, but they could replace me if needed. It would take awhile for someone to get up to speed with everything because of the history that I have with the product.

I think that my feelings of my job will change the day that my boss retires because he is such a big part of why I feel the way that I do about my job. Hopefully I will be blessed with someone else like him.

I feel that if you enjoy your job and feel appreciated then it causes you to do better in your work. I have found that if you are treated right then you are more willing to give of yourself when extra is required.

**TheRootedNomad** · 01-04-2009, 04:16 PM

Nope - Upper administration is always right no matter how wrong they are or whose feelings they step on to put thier right (read idiotic) ways of doing things into play. I love the mission my agency stands for and I like what I do. I do not however feel cherished or important with our current administration. I've thought a lot about leaving recently and will have a very hard time going back on Tuesday morning. I won't be leaving for awhile though. Instead I'll wait and see if administration turns over again soon. It does more frequently than most would expect. Some of us joke about how if you hate something now just wait 6 months and it will be completely different.

**onencgirl** · 01-04-2009, 05:53 PM

Like forHISglory, I too am in education. I feel very needed and cherished. The people I work with and the atmosphere I'm in is right where I want to be.
I think educators are in a closed environment somewhat that others don't quite understand.

**tbs727** · 01-04-2009, 07:47 PM

I'm a personal assistant and I know that the job would be easy to fill. However, I feel valued as an employee because they like me and would miss my personality if I left. Sometimes I fill in as therapist to listen to family issues, help make decisions on gifts, and as fashion consultant. It would be difficult to replace all those jobs with my little part time wage!

**Cricket1** · 01-04-2009, 07:57 PM

We'll see tomorrow when I start my new job! I have been fortunate enough to always feel the love. I think a lot of it has to do with personality, like Tiffany said. Yes, everyone can be replaced, but if you go into work with an awesome attitude, care about your job, and others, I truly believe that you'll get that back. I have never been in one field, either. I've been everything from a sales assistant to stock brokers, to retail, to HR manager, to education.

**rowdy35** · 01-04-2009, 08:00 PM

I'm a secretary and I have been with my company for 1 1/2 years. I don't feel cherished or important by my supervisor. In fact I know that if I wasn't so good at my job, she would have fired me a long time ago ! A fellow employee who was at the job for 3 1/2 yrs. was just fired this week with no warning so I know I am expendible.

the others in the company do appreciate me and respect me. I just don't get that from my direct supervisor and I'm used to getting that. It sucks but right now I'm in a pickle (trying to refinance) and the economy is so bad that I need to stay put and just stick it out.

**JessieMom** · 01-04-2009, 08:13 PM

I work in the insurance industry & there have been alot of changes this year which makes everyone uneasy. I don't think the company as a whole has done much to ease the fears & make me feel cherished but my team leader & manager always make me feel important to the team. We are a very numbers driven department & my numbers are among the best on the team so they go to extra trouble to stroke my ego when I need it, lol. I got a new team leader about a year ago & he's awesome - he knows when to leave me alone & when to give that little push to get the extra out of me. When I disagree with something that has come down from above him he always knows how to be that buffer to calm me down.

**Lori Biever-Launder** · 01-04-2009, 09:25 PM

I have been at the library for over nine years now and truly feel I am part of a family. We all help each other out, cover shifts when someone is ill, etc.

To give you an idea just how close we are, the director had to put her 16YO cat down on Wednesday. Another supervisor went with her for moral support. We have all helped each other with personal problems and just been there to share the joys AND hardships along the way.