Pages

Friday, February 26, 2010

Making Yourself Indispensable At Work

Scared of losing your job? Are you living in constant fear of being unemployed owing to the current economic crisis and the ensuing downsizing? Then you are among the millions of employees worldwide, who are living under this continuous threat and wish they could somehow make sure that they were truly indispensable for the company. While it is true that no one is completely indispensable, there are certain things that you can do to make yourself a valuable employee so that the company managers have to think twice before letting you go.  Here are some tips that you can incorporate in your daily routine to lessen the chances of you getting fired in the next downsizing:
Take more initiative
The most important thing in a workplace is taking initiative, not only because of the downsizing, but also because of the constantly changing job conditions. Nobody appreciates an employee who sits around waiting to be told what to do next and then accomplishes only the given task. Be active and take every opportunity that comes your way.
Work hard
When you are being paid to do something, you are supposed to give it your maximum effort. In order to become indispensable you must make sure that you are doing your work well and are meeting the required standards. Not only that, to prove to your employers that you are a worthy asset; you have to excel in your work and go beyond the expected standards. Moreover, if you do not know how to do something, instead of making it an excuse, go and find out how to go about that specific task and finish it efficiently.
Take responsibility
In order to become an asset for your company you will have to go beyond your job description and start viewing your department as a company, and yourself as the sole owner of the company. You must consider the pros and cons of every decision you make. At the end of the day, you must think of ways to improve the output of your department in order to impress the superiors with your productivity.
Positive attitude
Whatever happens, try to stay calm and focused. Maintaining a positive attitude in workplace is essential in proving your worth. An employee, who gets panicked easily and starts messing things up, is not an indispensable asset. If you can accomplish your tasks on a rough day with a smile on your face, you will definitely get noticed by your superiors and will certainly make a good impression.
Be a team player
Make sure that you are a valuable team player by always supporting your superiors and your entire team. Moreover, you have should remain careful and steer clear of petty politics and other unprofessional stuff that can retard the pace of work and harm the ongoing projects. Choose to be an integral part of any team and be responsible for the work allotted to you. Work in such a manner that your team and your managers start depending on you and start considering you indispensable.
Avoid politics
No matter which company you work for, office politics will follow you and getting involved means getting into trouble. So, the best option is to avoid taking sides whenever such a situation arises in the workplace.  You never know what the consequences of such actions might be. Just be neutral and try to get along well with everyone. Moreover, do not indulge in gossip under any circumstances and distance yourself from such conversations regarding rumors about the company. It is important that you have a clean reputation and are not regarded as a tale-bearer in the eyes of your superiors. Remember, no one wants to have a gossiping employee or a team mate, who can’t keep things confidential.
Improve your skills
In order to make yourself indispensable in the eyes of your managers, you should focus on the specific skills that you possess. While it is important that you possess a specialized skill, what is more important is how effectively you utilize this skill. Make sure that you let your superiors know that you are willing and available to help whenever your expertise is needed. This will make you a valuable resource, and an indispensable person within the organization.
Improve your visibility
While it is vital that you do your work with honesty and dedication, it is more important that you make people aware of your achievements and expertise without being ostentatious. Keep your superiors apprised of your efforts and hard work in terms of benefiting the company.
Be prepared to volunteer
Make sure that whenever you get the chance, you volunteer to do extra work in order to save your employer money and time. Nothing is more crucial for the managers than saving time and money. By volunteering to do extra projects, you can impress more people in the office with your capabilities and talent.
Be flexible
Make sure that you can be flexible enough to adapt changes smoothly.  Due to the ongoing economic crisis many companies are constantly making integral changes in their organization to save resources and be more productive. If you cannot go with the changes and do your best to ensure a smooth transition, sooner or later your superiors will start considering you a burden for the team and you will be replaced.
Be cost effective
Nowadays cutting costs has become a major concern for most organizations, which means that as a valuable employee you should concentrate on finding ways to help lower the cost in your company. Make a note of the cost savings you have achieved and make sure to keep the management informed about your efforts in this regards.
Manage your time
Make sure that you get to work on time and don’t be the first one to rush out the door as soon as your time ends. This is the way your employers and managers assess your dedication and commitment to your job. Any company will value an employee who shows up for work punctually and exhibits concern over his job. Moreover, keep in mind that your employers will also know if you are just wasting time by sitting idle at your work station, only to spend extra time in office to impress the boss. So whatever you do, make sure that your work output is in balance with the time you spend at the office.

No comments:

Post a Comment