Being listened to but not heard

Have you ever heard the term lip service? It’s when someone appears to be listening—nodding along, saying things like “yes,” “okay,” and “I see”—but in reality, nothing changes afterwards. They are simply pretending to care, making you feel important or heard, while in truth, they are just ticking HR-required boxes.

This has been my experience at work for the past five years. And I have to say, I have lost all hope in my workplace. I no longer push for change. I have spoken up so many times, only to be ignored, that I have accepted the reality: whatever I suggest, request, or need will not happen. For my own peace of mind and happiness, I now simply do my job and leave at the end of the day.

Because of this constant disregard, I no longer push for improvements, efficiency, or progress. I only speak up when something fails completely. When something breaks, we don’t replace it—we just adjust and accept that a task that should be quick and simple will now take hours or even entire days.

Even when I do speak up, even when I am telling the truth, management still feels the need to fact-check, test, and verify my words—because they never truly listened in the first place.

So, I have changed my approach: just do your job with the tools you are given. Do your best with what you have. Don’t let anything negatively affect your well-being. Take nothing personally. Take their money, go home, and spend your time with the people you love, doing the things that make you happy.