An underappreciated employee can quickly become a former employee.

Realizing your worth is one of the most powerful things that you can do in the workplace because a lot of the time, employers are not treating their employees in a way that reflects their experience and skills. Most want the maximum output for the least amount of money, and those who work for them are primarily subject to that guiding principle.

It is a frustrating dynamic to be in as an employee, especially if you otherwise enjoy your job as well as being good at it. At its worst, it is easy to be left feeling pretty hopeless about whether the situation will ever improve. The likelihood is that if a company thinks that they can keep on exploiting your talents with no consequence, things are not going to change.

Keeping this in mind, it is hardly surprising that quiet quitting has become such a phenomenon in recent years. People do not want to give more than they have to, particularly if there is no hope of extra reward for it. At their cruelest, some employers give high performers hope that their work will be recognized, then take that hope away at the last second.