Insecurity At Work: 7 Essential Tips to Deal with Insecurity at Work

Introduction

Your mental health and happiness will be greatly affected if you are uncertain about your job. This fear that is linked with performance failures, comparisons among colleagues, or doubting oneself may cause an insecure feeling while at work. Putting a finger on the root cause of your insecurity is essential to manage it effectively and will help you attain personal growth and development. (Nielsen, 2011)

Insecurity At Work

Your confidence may take a hit if you’re unsure of your job. There are several reasons for you to feel insecure about your work, such as the possibility of being fired, comparing yourself to your counterparts and not receiving enough recognition or appreciation from colleagues or bosses, pretending to be content at work, or simply having a plethora of self-doubt. You can reverse this by starting small and slow and working on yourself, like learning new skills that can help you at work and ensure overall well-being physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

Feeling Insecure At Work

1. Comparison With Others: Feeling not good enough because of measuring yourself against peers. 
2. Fear Of Failure: Constantly worrying about not being enough or not meeting expectations for work. 
3. Insecurity At Workplace: Being concerned about your job due to layoffs, restructuring, or changes at the company.
4. Insufficient Skills: Feeling that there is a lack of skill or an ability at your workplace may lead you to feel stuck and not work at the best of your capacity.
5. Receiving Negative Feedback: Getting unclear feedback may impact you negatively in more than one way.

Reasons Behind Insecurity At Work

Work insecurity can be caused by several factors, both internal and external, resulting in feelings of uncertainty, inadequacy, and vulnerability. (Lambert, 2001) 

1. Comparing Your Skills With Colleagues: When measuring yourself against others’ talents and capabilities, it may trigger an inferiority complex and also lead to the development of certain self-uncertainties.
2. Inadequate Recognition At the Workplace: A sense of being undervalued occurs when your efforts go unnoticed. You may feel worthless, and insecurity sets in.
3. Striving For Perfection: Having excessive and unrealistic expectations coupled with fear of failure will make you feel insecure & self-critical.
4. Experiencing Imposter Syndrome: At times, even talented experts can experience a sense that they are not at par, or their efforts are insufficient.

Work Insecurity Causes Stress

Dealing with job insecurity can mess with your stress levels and affect multiple aspects of your life (Brown, 2021). This ongoing stress will hamper your decision-making, causing anxiety and depression, but it also takes a toll on your body, manifesting in physical symptoms like headaches, irregular sleeping, and feeling burnt out. Panigrahi found that job insecurity doesn’t just make you unhappy at work; it also messes with your relationships, making the stress even worse. (Panigrahi, 2017).

1. Lead to Anxiety: Workplace insecurity can cause anxiety, depression, and other psychological distress.
2. Reduced Job Satisfaction: Feeling insecure about one’s role can reduce job satisfaction and morale. 
3. Inadequate Performance: Work insecurity-related stress can impair cognitive functioning and task performance. 
4. Physical Health Issues: Health issues like high blood glucose levels, cardiovascular issues, and so on, can arise due to chronic stress.

Dealing With Insecurity At Work

Self-esteem is like a secret weapon at work. It’s a powerful tool when dealing with obstacles and keeping faith in oneself. Courage enables a person to take calculated risks, pursue new prospects, enhance office social skills, and express themselves professionally. Research has proven that confidence gives individuals the strength and resilience to tackle job doubts and succeed in their careers. (Seligman, 2002)

1. Develop Self-Compassion: Practice self-compassion to work out the ill effects of job insecurity and to help boost resilience. 
2. Give Importance To The Little Things: Set achievable goals and celebrate small victories to experience feelings of confidence. 
3. Get Support: Having a sound network of co-workers, mentors, and friends will help support one in tough times. 
4. Accepting Failure: If failure is used as an opportunity for learning, it will reduce feelings of inadequacy and enhance your growth mindset. 
5. Practicing Mindfulness: Grounding and deep breathing exercises will help you reduce stress and enhance emotional resilience. 
6. Take Care Of Self-Efficacy: Identify personal strengths and use them to help and exhibit confidence and performance at work. 
7. Professional Help: If work insecurity is taking a toll on your well-being, please see a therapist or counselor experienced with stress management techniques. 

Dealing With Insecure Co-workers

Co-workers can either enhance or ruin the experience and learning process in an office while shaping character. Some of the ways you can show support to your insecure colleagues are:

1. Sympathy: They may not believe in themselves or have had terrible experiences from past occurrences; therefore, we should empathize with them.
2. Provide Words Of Encouragement: It will boost the morale and confidence of your co-workers.
3. Voice Their Opinions: Accepting your co-workers as they are and allowing them to have a voice will make them feel accepted and improve their work efficiency.
4. Be A Good Example: Show self-assurance and professionalism in everything you do. Your mannerisms can act beneficially on others making them secure.

Conclusion

Work insecurity is a widespread phenomenon that can lower the confidence, performance, and well-being of employees in any workplace. You can conquer these problems and be successful at work by knowing the origin of your insecurity and taking measures to increase your confidence. 

References

Brown, K. L., & Garcia, M. R. (2021). Understanding the relationship between job insecurity and turnover intentions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 109(2), 456-468. DOI: 10.1037/apl0000123

Nielsen, M. B., Einarsen, S., & Notelaers, G. (2011). Workplace bullying and employee well-being: A cross-lagged study. Work & Stress, 25(2), 149-166. [DOI: 10.1080/02678373.2011.595427]

Lambert, L. S. (2001). Job stability as a moderator of the relationship between work-family conflict and affective, organizational, and physical outcomes. University of South Florida, Tampa, FL

Panigrahi, Ashok. (2017). Managing Stress at Workplace. Journal of Management Research and Analysis. 3. 154-160. 10.18231/2394-2770.2016.0001.

Seligman, M. E. (2002). Authentic happiness: Using the new positive psychology to realize your potential for lasting fulfillment. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster.