In a recession economy, employees are willing to do just about anything to ensure that their heads don’t end up on the block; nobody wants to find themselves unemployed and competing for jobs with a sea of applicants that are far more qualified or willing to work for less. So you may be looking for ways to make yourself indispensable (without signing your soul over to the company). And the truth is, you don’t really need to give up your entire life to a company in order to gain a measure of job security; all you really have to do is spot the many ways in which they need you and then ensure that your superiors know about these needs (and how you fill them). So here are just a few ways to make yourself indispensable at the office.
- Do your job. This is always a good place to start. If you’re not actually certain of the specific duties that your title requires, visit the HR department to find out; they should have a list of job descriptions to help you out. You need to know what you’re supposed to be doing before you can actually fill the requirements of your position, so this is a crucial first step to impressing your superiors.
- Do your boss’s job. Okay, so in all honesty this could go two ways. The first is that you could wind up showing your superiors that you’re willing to take on extra work and continue learning, as well as convincing them that you’re ready to move up. This could also make your boss look good and help him/her to get promoted (if spun correctly). On the other hand, your boss could just end up dumping work on you, slacking off, and taking the credit. But even in this situation, you become somewhat indispensable to your boss, which means you stay employed. You can fight for a promotion later.
- Help other departments. Whenever you can, go out of your way to help others, especially those in positions of power or who look to be on the fast track. Inter-office networking not only helps to promote a symbiotic system in which work is done more efficiently, it also means that you have options to move into another position should your job suddenly become expendable.
- Don’t rock the boat. Complaining will get you nowhere, so rather than grumbling about everything from the terrible coffee in the break room to writing weekly progress reports, give yourself an attitude adjustment. Be the first to finish your report and hand it in with a smile, and consider providing some good coffee (everyone will thank you!).
- Stay apprised of office chatter. Office gossip is generally frowned on, but that certainly doesn’t stop it from occurring. And it’s surprising how many company secrets get spread around because people just can’t keep their mouths shut. Although you should probably avoid participating in the spread of rumors, it’s always a good idea to keep your ears open. If, for example, franchise opportunities were to open up within your company, you might know some people that would be interested in going in on an investment (and bringing you on board once they’ve done so). One of the best things you can do in any job is to recognize an opportunity and take it (as long as it doesn’t involve insider trading or stabbing someone in the back).
Leah Edwards is a contributing writer for WaterCooler World where you can find franchise opportunities throughout the UK.