Being seen, understood and advocated for
Is this the gap influencing career decisions?
A gap can sometimes appear between what a person contributes and how that contribution is experienced, understood and recognised by others.
As a result, career decisions are not always driven by opportunity; in some cases, they develop over time due to a perceived lack of recognition, understanding or support.
Visibility is not the same as understanding
Being visible within an organisation is often seen as a positive indicator; it suggests that work is noticed and contributions are recognised. However, visibility alone is not enough.
Marshall Goldsmith, Author and Coach, suggests that credibility is earned twice, first through the work itself and second through recognition of that work. Marshall advises that people often think - My work will speak for itself? No, it won't.
I am sure many will recognise the tension here.
Someone can be visible, yet their work is not fully understood. Equally, their contribution may go unseen because others do not know how to interpret it. Over time, this can create a disconnect, and individuals may continue to deliver and contribute and still find that the value they create is not recognised. This doesn't mean the work isn't valued; it may, however, mean that it isn't being advocated for in the moments that matter.
Learn more about Marshall Goldsmith here
Recognition is not the same as advocacy
Recognition focuses on acknowledgement, feedback conversations and moments of appreciation. Advocacy, however, operates differently. This happens when someone is not in the room.
It is how others speak about their work, how their contribution is represented and if their value is reinforced within wider conversations. Without advocacy, recognition can struggle to carry weight beyond individual interactions. Over time, this can lead individuals to question whether their contribution is understood and supported.
This distinction has been widely discussed in leadership and career development conversations, including by Carla Harris, who highlights the importance of sponsorship and advocacy in career progression.
Watch a short clip from Carla's 2018 TED Talk here: Carla Harris: How to find the person who can help you get ahead at work
The importance of advocacy and sponsorship continues to be highlighted in wider conversations, including themes such as International Women's Day, which emphasises the role of support, visibility and progression.
The impact on identity and belonging
As explored in my earlier articles, career decisions are closely linked to recognition and belonging. When someone feels their work is not clearly understood and they are not being advocated for, it can begin to influence how they see themselves within the organisation.
Questions may begin to surface:
Is my contribution clear to others?
Am I being represented or advocated?
Do I have support beyond my immediate environment?
These questions may not always get asked directly, but they will be felt. Belonging is not only about inclusion, but it is also about feeling recognised, supported and understood in a way that reflects someone's contribution.
The impact of this isn't always contained within the workplace. How individuals experience their working environment daily can influence how they feel beyond it. Over time, this can affect confidence, energy and the ability to fully disconnect, reinforcing, however, how closely work and identity can become linked.
In my previous article, I explored the importance of belonging and highlighted that people often struggle to feel a sense of belonging at work. Interestingly, People Management suggested in 2023 that a third of employees do not see their workplace as a community. And most recently, HR Magazine reports that roughly one in five (21%) feel a sense of belonging at work.
Read more here: HR Magazine - Just over a fifth of UK workers feel they belong at their workplace
Why this matters for career decisions
As outlined in the talent decision loop in my first article, career decisions rarely stem from a single moment. Instead, they develop over time through reflection on experiences, signals and interactions.
If individuals repeatedly question whether they are advocated for or if the value of their work isn't recognised, it can gradually increase their openness to new opportunities. Not necessarily because they are actively seeking change, but because something no longer feels aligned.
To read my full article, click here
Belonging. Is more than being included
Belonging is often described as an outcome of inclusion; however, when organisations invest in initiatives that bring people together and encourage participation, they create opportunities for connection. That being said, while these are important, belonging is rarely established through inclusion alone.
Belonging develops through experience.
Reinforced by everyday interactions, relationships and organisational behaviours, which have been discussed in my earlier articles, it reinforces whether someone is genuinely valued, understood or supported. These types of experiences influence how individuals are perceived in the workplace and whether they feel psychologically safe enough to contribute authentically.
Belonging is experienced. Not communicated
Organisations communicate their values through employer branding, recruitment campaigns and onboarding programmes. These touchpoints are important because they establish expectations long before an individual joins an organisation. However, belonging cannot be embedded within a values statement or experienced through a single onboarding session. It should be developed gradually throughout the course of the recruitment journey, and for employees, these are reflected in daily interactions such as:
Conversations managers choose to have.
Opportunities created.
The confidence to ask questions without fear of judgement.
Being honest and not being reprimanded.
Reassurance that if a mistake has been made, this is an opportunity to learn and grow rather than a reason to withdraw.
When you can learn from experiences and reinforced positive communication, these are far more powerful. Individuals can then feel psychologically safe within your presence and within the business.
The role of advocacy
In my previous articles, I have also explored the distinction between recognition and advocacy. You may recall, I asserted that recognition acknowledges contribution and advocacy is demonstrated through opportunities created. You can read the previous article here.
For individuals entering a new organisation, these moments can have a profound influence on how quickly they begin to feel part of the business and the internal communities. When colleagues invest time in explaining unwritten expectations and introducing internal networks and different clubs such as book clubs, running clubs, etc., they are helping someone transition from being an outsider to an insider.
This transition represents one of the most significant stages of the employee experience.
The transition from outsider to insider
Every organisation has cultural norms; some of which are documented through policy, but some "cultural norms" are not documented; instead, they are felt by those within the business. These can show up through:
How meetings are conducted
When it is accepted to challenge an idea
How relationships are formed
Whom people approach for guidance -and those who aren't approached
What success looks like beyond formal objectives
From a sociocultural perspective, this is unsurprising. Learning develops through engagement and participation rather than formal instruction alone. Similarly, social identity theory suggests that individuals gradually develop a sense of belonging through groups around them who they identify with. These theories have been discussed in previous articles and continue to be important implications for onboarding, particularly in the current labour market.
What this means for Talent Acquisition and Employer Brand leaders
Employer brand and talent acquisition often focus on talent attraction and those who are perceived to have values that align with the organisation. This, of course, remains essential as individuals need to feel comfortable with their environment; however, it is only the beginning of the relationship.
If organisations communicate "a sense of belonging" externally, they must also ensure that it is the reality of the internal environment. It requires advocacy. It requires individuals to turn up for each other.
Belonging could be viewed as a result of inclusion, but perhaps it is more accurate to view it as an outcome of consistent advocacy and shared experience. Food for thought?