Career Advice >> Browse Articles >> Advancement
Career Advice >> Browse Articles >> Career Resources
10 Ways to Make Yourself Unfireable
Tania Khadder
 |
Unlike so many of your friends and family, you won’t have to deal with the unemployment office or cancel your cable — yet.
But instead of sitting smugly at your desk, you should be thinking about what you can do (right now!) to make yourself absolutely indispensable.
Having a job is not a civil right. Everyone is vulnerable to cutbacks. Now is not the time for complacency.
The good news is, there are lots of steps you can take to help safeguard your position. And who knows? You may even end up with a promotion!
If you want to be the last person they’d think of letting go, follow our ten tips.
shadow_matrix0101
4 months ago
10 comments
"sandbar3000: You sound like you're the most bitter, miserable person I've ever heard in my life. Seriously, no wonder you don't work in an office. -I- wouldn't hire you with that kind of attitude. I don't know how long you've been out of the workforce, but 90% of office positions require you know Outlook so you CAN send e-mails for or to your boss. The article IS about people who work in an office setting. If you don't, then disregard the article and move on. Oh, and if you have Outlook, you have Internet. Also, if you punch a time clock, then that part of the article doesn't pertain to you either. Your bitterness and hatred for either past jobs or a current one is oozing all over your sarcastic rant. Please try again or get another career."
liquidfos
4 months ago
2 comments
No kidding ! I totally agree with the last phrase " if you don’t toot your own horn, no one else will."
Wether or not time accrued is pushed further because you want to be available 24/7 to please your boss, what ever decision they decide to pull in your absence would still be made.
Basically, all of these points are awesome ! Let's admit it. The utmost fact is, do your job, be very, very contributive in everything and try as much as possible to esteem yourself even if you're an assistant. It helps to show your boss and make them know that you're boss in your own little cubicle ! Common, it's your office and space, manage it well .
sandbar3000
5 months ago
70 comments
email again. Not everyone has an email account at their job. Just because someone works at a freaking desk does not mean they have an email account. These articles are written for those few blessed people that have it all in an office.
sandbar3000
5 months ago
70 comments
What office? The person that wrote this thinks that everyone works in an office. Oh and I worked in offices before. Does that mean that I had access to the internet? Nope. Again, not everyone have this cupcake job and has a job that has a computer and internet access at their fingertips.
Who makes personal calls while at work? That is just stupid. do it on your freaking lunch break.
sandbar3000
5 months ago
70 comments
When I worked for a temporary agency-the people (the client) at the place I worked at wanted me to do my work and shut up. Be a leader? huh. What a joke. Not if you are a temp worker.
sandbar3000
5 months ago
70 comments
Not everyone has jobs where they allow one to come in 15 minutes "early" and leave 30 minutes "later". Many many people have jobs or positions where they work 7am to 3:30pm and that is it. It's called a time clock and people do punch in and out of a real time clock. Not everyone has a nice fancy cupcake office job.
sandbar3000
5 months ago
70 comments
Not everyone has a position like this to where they can come up with ideas to save money for their company.
ninahardy
5 months ago
4 comments
I have not tried all of the suggestions, but I have tried the majority. I feel that if a company wants to get rid of you they will. I think we all know someone who has done everything on the list and still lost their job
smkuras
5 months ago
2 comments
I have always tried to follow those rules and they are good rules. Unfortunately, I where I work, those rules are creating problems because I am not part of the "Boys Club" and am looked upon as a problem for trying to change or improve things. I do believe I too will be fired very soon. It is very hard to be 1 of 2 females in the office. We both are worried.
LHesterFranklin
5 months ago
2 comments
Whats painful for me is I have done everything listed and instead of the Boss feeling I was indispensable, he thought I wanted his job and fired me!
TaniaK
5 months ago
10 comments
Hey everyone, thanks for your comments!
I suggested you keep time off to a minimum IF your company is experiencing cutbacks at the moment. If they're laying people off right now, It would be smart to be in the office as much as you can (at least until the storm passes). Not saying don't take a vacation this year, but maybe just postpone until things settle.
I know someone who went to the Burning Man festival for two weeks, right as layoffs at his workplace were at their peak. And guess what. He was laid off the day he got back. Who knows what other factors contributed to his dismissal, but I'm sure his time out of the office didn't help. In an ideal world, he should have been able to take his accrued time off -- worry free! -- but unfortunately, the world is less than ideal at the moment.
roseroj
5 months ago
2 comments
Sometimes, it does not matter what you do to keep your job. What matters is if your coworkers have more years working for the company than you, since they have been loyal to them for much longer even in better times.
vrm
5 months ago
4 comments
I really disagree with the "don't take time off" piece. Employees should use vacation time that they earn. As a supervisor, I would much rather see someone take that well-deserved vacation then miss out on an opportunity because they wanted to make sure they didn't get fired using a technique that really doesn't ensure anything. Not only that, but taking vacation helps keep employees sane and stress-free, which can overall increase productivity. What were the writers of this one thinking?!
Stephanie409
5 months ago
2 comments
I think this is a little misleading. I was a 22 yr employee. Took very little time off, worked through lunch (and came in some weekends), was my boss' right (and left) hand and ran the dept when he traveled (which was about 5 months out of the year). I worked hard, and covered for pretty much every dept. at one time or another. And yet, I still was laid off.
RuthMarion
5 months ago
12 comments
Some people view Admin's as a follower of orders, however, most are leaders in the shadows. Let's lead with professionalism and share our experience with others. Accepting projects using leadership skills at every opportunity will enhance our visibility.