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I want to tell my boss that -

"My hard work is always washed away by client's repetitive changes. Other employees' hard work is visible to you, but not mine. So everyone here got increment in the last 7 months but not me."

What is the correct word which can replace washed away and please correct me if there is any better way to express the above point.

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  • Explain further, please?
    – dockeryZ
    Sep 10, 2016 at 13:27
  • @dockeryZ : Client requirements always change in a week or two and i had to start afresh with my work. So my boss can't see my the hardwork I put in my work . I want to make this point to ask for a raise
    – Amar Singh
    Sep 10, 2016 at 13:29
  • 3
    You might consider asking about this on the workplace stackexchange as well. Sep 11, 2016 at 9:20
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    You could say that "my work would be more efficiently utilized if <this and that> would not keep happening". Then you switch the focus from talking about your emotions to informing about management of a company resource. Sep 11, 2016 at 11:28
  • 1
    wiped out; turned to nothing; set aside; negated; invalidated; undone; set at naught; devalued Sep 25, 2016 at 23:53

7 Answers 7

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You may use wasted for a single word:

My hard work is always wasted by the client's repetitive changes.

Actually, the phrase down the drain is literally and figuratively close to your term washed away and means wasted.

My hard work is/goes always down the drain due to the client's repetitive changes.

Cambridge Dictionary:

down the drain:

If work or money is or goes down the drain, it is spoiled or wasted:

If the factory closes, that will be a million dollars' worth of investment down the drain.

wasted adjective (BADLY USED): ​

Wasted time, money, etc. is time, money, etc. that is not used effectively because it does not produce the result you wanted:

He wasn't in when I got there, so it was a completely wasted journey.

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    Just nitpicking, but if the word 'goes' is used, the sentence should begin with "my hard work always goes" rather than "my hard work goes always".
    – person27
    Sep 11, 2016 at 20:13
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How about nullified? There are two definitions of nullify in most of the online dictionaries and most of them are similar to this :

1 make legally null and void; invalidate.

2 make of no use or value; cancel out.

It seems to me that the second definition carries the meaning you are looking for.

See the Oxford online entry http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/nullify

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    This is the only decent answer so far. All the others miss the point.
    – TonyK
    Sep 10, 2016 at 22:05
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"My hard work always goes unnoticed..."

UnnoticedCambridge

adjective, adverb Without being seen or noticed
"His contribution did not go unnoticed."

Escape noticeTFD

Fig. to go unnoticed; not to have been noticed. (Usually a way to point out that someone has failed to see or respond to something.)
"I suppose my earlier request escaped your notice, so I'm writing again."
"I'm sorry. Your letter escaped my notice."

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How about erased, obliterated, destroyed, or ruined?

"My hard work is always [erased, obliterated, destroyed, or ruined] by client's repetitive changes. Other employees' hard work is visible to you, but not mine. So everyone here got increment in the last 7 months but not me."

From Dictionary.com:

erase: to obliterate

obliterate: to remove or destroy all traces of; do away with; destroy completely.

destroy: to reduce (an object) to useless fragments, a useless form, or remains, to render ineffective or useless; nullify; neutralize; invalidate

ruin: to injure (a thing) irretrievably

As to the lack of an "increment" compared to other employees, perhaps their work is not washed away, erased, obliterated, destroyed, or ruined by client's repetitive changes to the same extent as is the OP's.

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  • Erased fits the OP's sentence to a T. Sep 11, 2016 at 5:09
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Consider obscured (the verb form)

1 Keep from being seen; conceal: gray clouds obscure the sun

1.1 Make unclear and difficult to understand: the debate has become obscured by conflicting ideological perspectives

1.2 Overshadow: none of this should obscure the skill, experience, and perseverance of the workers

Oxford Dictionaries Online

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Undercut - bit more of an aggressive connotation.

You could also state your efforts are offset or invalidated.

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    Hi Benediah, welcome to English Language & Usage. You'll notice that all the other answers provide a dictionary definition for their proposed solution. This is an expectation on our site; short answers without any supporting evidence can be viewed as merely comments or opinion, which undermines EL&U's aim to build "a library of detailed answers to every question about English language and usage." You can add more detail by clicking on the edit link. :-) Sep 10, 2016 at 22:59
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Let me toss in my suggestion...

My hard work is always made useless by the client's repetitive changes.

I feel like "wasted" wouldn't be a good word to use here; that would imply that the client is somehow consuming your work in a wasteful manner. Likewise, "destroyed" and "ruined" don't really make sense unless the client is actually changing your work. The phrase "goes unnoticed" makes it sound like the only problem is that your boss doesn't pay attention to your work.

(By the way, is it possible for you to do the work in a way that is more resistant to changing requirements?)

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