What's your problem?
How do I avoid my fourth taste of redundancy?
Q: How seriously should I take talk of the likelihood of a double-dip recession? I'm starting to get nervous about my job security - and not without reason. I have been made redundant three times in the last four years and the last time it happened it was a real shock. I'm married with three young kids and a wife to support. How do I go about making myself indispensable so my head doesn't end up on the chopping block once more?
A: With a recent history such as yours, your nervousness is utterly understandable. At the same time, of course, it's absolutely the last emotion you need to exhibit; and that's a tough call.
Nervousness can make you try too hard. It can make you overanxious to please, to ingratiate yourself with senior people, to put yourself forward for extra tasks to the point of irritation. It won't reassure your bosses - and it will infuriate your colleagues, who'll see only too clearly what you're up to. Remember that they may be feeling insecure as well. Setting out to make yourself indispensable - if done too ostentatiously - can be dangerously counterproductive.
