QUESTION: I am critical to my company, therefore I am secure in my job.
FACT: The company is finding alternatives to reduce such dependency; moreover, time may render your position non-critical.
Every now and then, we run into this phrase—’no one is indispensable’. In reality, however, a few people are indeed Indispensable, albeit for some time. Companies treat this ‘rare species with the utmost care to ensure that they remain happy and motivated. Their exit from the company would have a serious impact and so, all efforts are made to keep them on board. Sometimes, their subject-matter skills are so strong that a manager ignores their poor soft skills or hesitates to provide the relevant feedback if the interpersonal skills of such an employee are not good, the team spirit takes a hit, and his colleagues tolerate him only due to his subject-matter skills. In many cases, pampered as he is, this expert employee feels that he is the ‘power centre’ and so, his position in the company is secure for years to come.
Too much dependency on an employee is not good for any company’s prospects. While the management has to do Its best to retain the key people, it also has to be on the lookout for others possessing similar skills. This will augment the number of high performers who can help in finding better solutions to the given problems; this will also help in seeding a new team. And in case of any attrition, there will always be enough experts to share the workload.
Nothing is permanent in a company’s life, and so, one’s position too is not a permanent entity. A new manager might feel that your position is not a critical resource, and so might show you the door. There’s also the case of skills becoming obsolete as a project reaches a different stage or folds up. As for those ‘indispensable’ employees whose soft skills turn off their ‘colleagues, they may find themselves removed from the project.
Demand can be an ephemeral entity; as long as one is in demand, one can feel secure; but everything can change overnight In a company’s scheme of things—a product is called off; the company gets acquired; a division gets closed— and one’s skills can suddenly go rt of demand. Yd.:6′ companies, by their very nature, will-take care of those folks who are in demand, but large companies have boundaries in terms of what is acceptable when it comes to behavior or
career/compensation demands. Since an employee has no control over industry-level events; all he can do is improve upon his expertise area, bolster his soft skills, and be realistic about expectations regarding his compensation package and career goals.
WHAT CAN YOU DO AS THE EMPLOYEE? You should try to play a critical role in the company as long as possible. One becomes critical to a company’s fortunes due to one’s skills, but that doesn’t mean one has to hide information or shy away from sharing one’s knowledge with one’s colleagues. You have to be a team player. How important you are to an organization might be determined by the fact that meetings get postponed or cancelled if you are not around to give your input. Rut you shouldn’t assume that your present skill set will always get you a great job. You might get one for the short term, but that may not be so in the long run. You have to keep enhancing your skills based on market requirements.
WHAT CAN YOU DO AS THE MANAGER? You should take-steps to make sure that no one becomes indispensable. You need to recruit the right people and groom the existing ones to minimize the dependence on a few employees. In order to avoid over dependence, you ‘should plan your division of work carefully so that some sort of overlap–like primary and secondary ownership—comes into play. This will help you in case ,of attrition when an ‘indispensable employee leaves.
