Every company has some star performers who they pamper a lot and try to their best to retain them. These are termed as indispensable employees without whom companies think their operations will be severely hampered. It is hard to say that exactly how many indispensable employees do a company needs as it depends upon many factors like nature of business and number of employees.
The indispensable employees get huge increments, bonuses and even stock options. So tempting, right? I am sure you are now eager to know what the qualities are so that you can also become an employee which your company would want to retain at all costs. Below are the 9 such qualities, which according to me, can get you to that position.
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Develop Deep Expertise Concerning a Critical Task
There are many departments in a company but only a 1 or 2 are extremely critical for their survival. For example, an ad agency is fully dependent on its graphics designers and copywriters. Without them, they can’t design a print ad to its final form as required by its clients. So they will try everything in their power to retain experienced employees in the above mentioned two departments. That’s the reason why companies put so much emphasis on making employees like these indispensable.
There are ways to increase your proficiency regarding critical departments in your company. For any company, its operations and finance departments are the backbone. So if you will develop high expertise in any role related to these 2 departments, you will end up as an Operations Manager or Finance Manager that companies love to retain by hook or by crook.
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Mentor your Colleagues
While you may think that this job is for the supervisors/line managers, your role in this concern can be key in making yourself a guy that most people can rely on for any difficulty in their routine tasks. A good mentor imparts knowledge and expertise to new/inexperienced employees. This encouragement can be really important for the future growth of such employees.
Every company values employees which such capabilities as mentioned above. A mentor is trusted by the sub-ordinates and the higher management alike. In the bigger picture, it helps in developing and retaining new talent.
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Change the Way you Work
People usually don’t want to step out of their comfort zone and try to challenge themselves physically and mentally. An overwhelming majority of employees around the world do their work mechanically and go home. They don’t even try to improve their routine tasks one bit even if that can make their tasks easier and quicker. The fear that what their higher management would say and will term them as rebels stop many employees in doing so.
You need to step out and make sure you can prove your viewpoint with the management. If you will work in a shorter time, to convince them is not difficult as it is in totally in the favor of the management of the company.
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Volunteer
The top management always look for people who can volunteer for office work. While management do ask employees politely concerning this, it is always the employees who have to take the initiative. It is not difficult to do something new or learn a new skill as just half an hour more from your schedule can make this task easy enough. In the long-term, it can benefit an employee greatly.
After learning multiple skills or always the one to volunteer when management needs one, you can quickly become the apple of the eye of you manager/top management. With this, you not only become a prime candidate for bonuses and rise in pay but also can become an indispensable employee in no time.
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Offer Solutions for Complex Problems
Every company value employees who offer effective solutions for a problem. If you will see the problem of the company as your interest, then you are most likely to become an employee who the management turns to in any adverse situation. The steps are not that difficult to offer a solution; first identify the cause of the problem and then think of ways to tackle it. You will surely find some material to assist on the Internet as there is no problem whose solution is not available.
It doesn’t mean that you will start finding solution in a jiffy. Everyone needs time to excel but with the passage of time, you can become a master in offering solutions in this regard. A free task management software can help you tremendously to chalk out your priorities and present them in a proficient way to come up with effective solutions for any problem.
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Learn to Adapt to the Changed Situation
Learning is key when you are working in a dynamic environment. If you want to be recognized by your firm as an indispensable employee, you need to adapt to the changing times. New technology or software update can be difficult to understand. You need to understand the working of the new software, for example, so that you can compete with other people in your department and standout in the crowd as a person who needs minimal supervision.
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Make your Boss Happy
Just doing your routine tasks according to your job description will not make your boss happy. If you really want to make him jump with joy, you need to share his burden. One trick is to ask him that you can assist him in a task that he terms irksome to say the least. If you will regularly assist him in this regard, then you will become his go-to person in any difficulty he will face. This is one easy to be truly indispensable for any company.
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Demonstrate Integrity at Work
Personal integrity is one attribute that companies think as a fundamental one and seek them in the employees. If you will demonstrate high moral values and do your work with utmost honesty, in no time you will be ranked among the most dedicated employees. A trustworthy and dependable employee is actually an indispensable one and that’s why you need to ooze these qualities in you.
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Build Relationship within and Outside the Company
If you will build good relationships within your company, that’s what exactly is required from you. But building lasting relationships with people outside the company, that is, your clients and third parties involved in your business is also critical. In this way, you create a positive image of your company and make sure the clients are always content with your service. This surely makes you one indispensable employee of the company.
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