We all want to know that we’re secure in our work. We want to feel that we are as necessary to the job we work in as the job is necessary to us; that our contribution is acknowledged, valued, and appreciated.

It is often said that impressing your boss is an important way of achieving good job security. After all, it makes sense to want to be the employee who makes such a good impression on your boss that they wouldn’t dream of firing you, ensuring that you’re always last in line during a period of layoffs. There’s no doubt that impressing your boss is important, but it’s not the end of your requirements when it comes to job security: you have to be indispensable.

Let’s examine this concept in depth, and outline a few ways that you can be the one employee that your boss doesn’t feel they can manage without.

Honing your reliability

Reliability is the single most important quality that you can have if you’re seeking to be indispensable to your boss. You want to be the employee that your boss can always count on; the worker that your boss knows will never miss deadlines, or call in sick frequently. To achieve this, you have to… well, be reliable!

The key to reliability, however, is not about getting everything right all the time– it’s about being there to rectify any issues. It’s also about confessing to your mistakes, so your boss can always trust that you will be honest regarding the status of a work project. Reliability is much more than arriving at work on time and completing your assignments; it’s about being trustworthy enough to open a dialog, to be willing to question things, and always ensure that you see a project through to the end.

The importance of good organization

The modern workplace is a pretty chaotic place, so any employee who can cut through the confusion and present clear, workable situations is always going to be indispensable.

The easiest way of achieving this is to write everything down. Every conversation, every meeting; record it all, so you can be sure you have always got the right information to hand. It’s also beneficial to keep your desk organized and always keep an eye on a project as it progresses, even if it’s no longer your responsibility to do so.

If you want to really hit this concept out of the park, then why not consider directing your career to a role where organization is your main responsibility. You could undertake a MBA organizational management, and work to become the employee who always knows where the company stands. A company is built on how well-organized the employees are, and how quickly projects can progress, so by specializing in this area, you automatically become indispensable.

Be a willing volunteer

Most of us have experienced our boss asking us to do something we don’t want to do. It can be taking on existing work, giving a presentation, or even non-business related activities such as planning the Christmas party. If you truly want to be indispensable, then you always have to be the employee who steps up for new responsibilities.

There’s no doubt that doing this is tough; it does inevitably mean that you’re going to have to do tasks you are not that keen on doing. However, there’s no doubt that gaining a reputation for being willing to adapt to circumstances and put yourself forward is a very valuable commodity in an employee– and you never know, you might learn something useful from the new tasks you volunteer yourself for.

Be professional at all times

Some workplaces can be a hotbed of bad feeling, anger, and frustration. In some ways, that’s natural; when the pressure is on, people crack under the strain they are experiencing. It’s impossible for every member of staff to keep a lid on their emotions and frustrations 100% of the time.

However, if you can cultivate a reputation as the employee who manages to keep a calm head when others are struggling, then your indispensability creeps up again. Your boss is going to turn to you for assistance, hoping that you can exert control and focus on solving the issue that is causing so much strife. Being depended on, for whatever reason, is a key aspect of being indispensable, so when rough situations arise, see this as being your chance to shine.

In conclusion
While you should want to impress your boss, it’s also useful to become indispensable to the boss — and the company — that you work for. The ideas above should guide you in the right direction to achieving that in your career.