Being an indispensable employee is more important than ever because the economy has forced employers to reevaluate their overhead costs. You were probably hired because you were the best person for the job, but now your boss might be asking herself how essential your position is to the company. The goal is for your employer to believe they can't function without you, increasing your job security and (down the road) giving you leverage when there's opportunity for internal promotion or at bonus time.
A big part of the path to indispensability is becoming acutely aware of the people around you. If you know that your supervisor despises a certain recurring task and you're capable of taking it on, why not offer to incorporate it in your workload? Unless you have absolutely no time in your day to fulfill another small task, offering a helping hand can be very meaningful down the road.
This isn't about showing off your skills or proving how well you perform under pressure. It's about getting your supervisor to think you're a saint. Think it's going to have the opposite effect and your boss won't want to promote you? Think again. The task you've taken on will just become part of the job description for the next person hired to fill your shoes.
CAFe'NOIR
But at what point does it look like "this person has nothing to do but ask for new tasks" ?
1i think that it's really important to make sure that your boss knows what you are good at doing, and that you really make their life easier. i've found that over the past year of working with my boss that there are somethings that i just seem to be more organized about, and it helps in my gunning to keep my job and all that. i'm really good at staying on top of things (deadlines, projects etc) and with how busy she is, it's a huge load that i can take off her shoulders. granted - i have someone below me, and i can't always say that she makes my job easier. i have to remind her about 50 times to do something, and typically it's not even done right then. she should read this article!
2Ugh, I know I'm indispensable because of my flexibility. Since I don't have kids, I'm almost always available to pick up PM and weekend shifts and I can almost always work around the holidays when almost everyone else has to travel for family functions. My husband's in the same boat...he is the guy that always gets sent out to Arizona for month long rotations because he has no kids to take care of at home, so when his company made cutbacks, they DEFINITELY kept him on.
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