The conference room was buzzing with restless energy. I had just finished a session on career success with a group of young professionals when one brave participant raised their hand and asked, “How do we stay motivated when it feels like nothing we do really matters?”

Heads around the room nodded in silent agreement. Some shifted uncomfortably in their seats. A few sighed audibly.

It then hit me – that a profound crisis was quietly brewing in the modern workplace: the crisis of mattering.

In 2022, the US Surgeon General released a Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Well-Being. The framework highlights five pillars, including ‘mattering at work’, which have been shown to enhance happiness, productivity and performance.

Mattering is the experience of feeling significant, of knowing that we add value to those around us. It provides that all-important ‘why’, making us feel worthy, confident and motivated. Research shows that employees who believe their work counts for something are more productive, have higher levels of job satisfaction and are more likely to stick around and get promoted. On the flipside, feeling like your contributions don’t matter raises the risk of stress and depression and makes one likelier to quit.

From a psychological point of view, this isn’t surprising. To feel seen and valued is a fundamental human need. We all want to be needed, to make a positive difference – to our families, our friends, our community and yes, to our co-workers and customers.

Making people feel valued at the workplace is even more important now, at a time when we’re seeing historical lows in employee engagement and record highs of ‘quiet quitting’. People are becoming more cynical about jobs. Human-centric soft skills are falling by the wayside. And the working world has become increasingly fragmented. As a paper published by the World Economic Forum points out:

Priorities and resources shift and projects are shelved – often abruptly. We experience more discontinuity and it’s easy to lose the thread of what we are working on, aiming toward and how it all ties together. Mattering provides us with the motivation to endure the stress of ambiguity, volatility and disruption in a fragmented world.

So, this week, let’s explore the power of mattering. How can we, as leaders and managers, build on this concept to promote the well-being and performance of our team members?

To put it simply, mattering speaks to our place in the world: “Does what I do make a difference? How and to whom?” Given that we spend the majority of our waking hours at work, these questions tend to come up sooner or later. Unfortunately, studies show that countless employees feel unappreciated and invisible at the workplace, unsure whether their contributions matter to anyone at all.

Managers are uniquely positioned to lead the type of daily interactions that make people feel significant and valued. Researcher Zach Mercurio, who has recently written a book on this topic, points out that some of these behaviours will seem like common-sense measures, especially to older readers. But the reality is that deep, personalised interactions have taken a backseat in many organisations, having been replaced by straight-to-the-point digital communications or automated check-ins.

Show people they matter

Here are nine ways in which managers can foster a culture of mattering and show team members they’re valued:

1. Affirm uniqueness.

While thanking and recognising people for their contributions is important, it’s not enough. To show people they truly matter as individuals, you need to verbalise exactly how their unique gifts add value. As Mercurio suggests:

Help them see how they’re needed by giving them evidence that people rely on them and that their efforts are indispensable.

Get into the habit of affirming your team members’ individual strengths and efforts. Remind them that they’re appreciated and help them cultivate pride in their abilities. As a bonus, when people believe they matter, they’re also more likely to take criticism in the right spirit and work on improving themselves.

2. Notice people.

In order to do the above successfully, you’ll need to look, really look, at your team members. Observe the peaks and valleys of their workdays. Check in when you have the chance: “I noticed you pitched in to help your co-worker meet their deadline. Thank you for doing that.” or “I noticed you looked a bit stressed this morning. Is there something I can support you with?”

3. Share stories of impact.

For employees who are far removed from the end user, it can be hard to picture the impact of their work. This is where storytelling can have a game-changing effect. Research shows that hearing just one true story of how your job benefits other people can trigger a 400% jump in motivation!

Start collecting, documenting and sharing stories of impact with your team. Focus on people – the people who use your products and services, who derive joy or benefit from them. Managers can conduct this initiative for their own teams or tie up with other leaders to kickstart a broader storytelling project.

4. Connect to outcome.

There’s a famous story about President John F. Kennedy’s visit to the NASA Space Centre, where he asked a janitor: “What do you do here?” The janitor responded, “I’m helping put a man on the moon, Mr. President.”

While the story may or may not be true, NASA’s leadership was certainly known for its emphasis on mattering. They called it “a ladder to the moon”. Team members understood how each of their contributions added value and formed a rung on the ladder, which made the next rung possible, and so on and so forth – all the way to putting a man on the moon. In the same way, managers can link their team member’s individual input with a meaningful outcome, illustrating how their specific contribution is needed to achieve the end goal.

5. Expand understanding.

Managers sometimes forget that their direct reports don’t have access to the same scope of organisational knowledge. The WEF piece mentioned earlier offers good guidance on connecting individual jobs with the bigger picture:

Understanding how and why one’s work matters requires understanding what drives value within the business. Managers typically have broader visibility into how the business works and what it needs most at any moment. They can share this perspective and how the work fits within it while also helping employees deepen their understanding.

6. Make each project count.

Incorporate mattering in all projects. How does this initiative make a difference? What value will it ultimately bring – now and in the future? What will the team gain from it? If a project gets cut short, take the time to recognise the work done so far and help your team understand where things stand.

7. Embrace mattering.

Only when you experience mattering in your own life can you share this gift with your team. How does your own work add value? What did you do today that mattered to someone else? How did that make you feel? Sit with yourself and think about these questions.

8. Pay attention.

In today’s Insta-times, attention is a gift. When you invite a team member to share their thoughts, give them your full focus. This sends a clear message: “You’re important. I care about you and what you have to say.” As you listen, seek clarity and detail through open, exploratory questions like, “Can you tell me more about that?” or “Can you explain with an example?”

9. Stop for a chat.

Keep the personal connection alive by making the most of small, in-between moments. Five minutes early for a meeting? Instead of getting on your phone, have a chat with the other team member who is waiting. Getting a coffee at the pantry? Instead of rushing back to your desk, swap weekend anecdotes with co-workers.

At its heart, mattering is about meeting three fundamental needs: to be seen, to be heard, and to be valued. As workplaces become increasingly digital, transactional, and impersonal, leaders who bring humanity back to work will be the ones who win — not just in productivity, but in loyalty, resilience, and true engagement.

When you show someone they matter, you change more than their workday. You change their belief in themselves — and in the possibility that what they do, and who they are, can make a real difference.

And that belief? It’s the fuel that moves teams, organisations, and the world forward.

So ask yourself:

Who on your team needs to be reminded that they matter?

And more importantly, what will you do about it today?