Top 5 Ways to Be Irreplaceable: How to Stay Right Where You Are

Becoming irreplaceable at work is a great way to secure your job, right?
On the surface, it seems perfectly logical that if you are the only one who can fill the role, then your company HAS to keep you for that job. While it is certainly nice to be a valued employee, being indispensable could be taking things too far! However, for those of you who buy into the irreplaceable = security formula, here are five ways to stay right where you are.
Use them at your own risk!
1 Don’t share your knowledge and skills with ANYONE. If you share your knowledge, then someone else may be able to do your job just as well as you. You do not want to become obsolete, so keep your mouth shut and keep working. On the other hand, you are not exactly in a position to be promoted, are you?
2 Don’t mentor other employees. If you make everyone else look good, then you may not look so good yourself! If word gets out that you are the kind of mentor that makes other employees better, you run the risk of someone noticing and trying to get you to take on more responsibility and give you more money. Don’t fall into this trap!
3 Don’t promote a team atmosphere. The more you are seen as a “team player,” the less you are seen as a unique entity. This could weaken the illusion that you are irreplaceable. Not to mention the very real danger of being promoted because of your team-building skills.
4 Don’t learn new skills or think about better ways to do your job. This could weaken the belief (in your mind at least) that you are the “one.” Adding new skills makes the older skills not so unique after all. Start finding new and better ways to perform your job and suddenly you are again in danger of being promoted. Unless you already practice tip #1. Then you’re OK.
5 Don’t ask for a raise…ever. Nothing says indispensable like cheap labor. If I can get a “B” player for “C” pay, then I am all in. If you ask for a raise, you could be seen as a disgruntled employee that only cares about themselves. Shame on you. Employees that stand up for themselves run the risk of getting paid what they are worth. Be careful.
