The Hidden Costs of Being Indispensable at Work

Young professional sitting in front of a computer looking overwhelmed

Source: Image by Vilius Kukanauskas from Pixabay

“We couldn’t do this without you.”

“You’re our rock star.”

“Don’t ever even think about leaving, ok?”

If you’ve ever heard one or more of these from your boss, you probably felt pretty good. Being seen as indispensable at work can make you feel important and significant, and give you a (perhaps misguided) sense of job security.

While being indispensable at work might feel like a boon, it can actually be a burden that limits your abilities, autonomy, and career. Here’s what may be at risk when you’re the “rock star”:

• Your autonomy (you’re not going to have a lot of choices about what you work on if you’re critical for the success of certain tasks).


• Your development (you’re not going to be encouraged to grow if you’re actually needed to stay the same).


• Your team (you’re not going to be able to delegate if the tasks need you and you only).
• Your processes (when you're the only resource for certain tasks and questions, you can become a bottleneck instead of an asset).
• Your health and mental health (when you can’t take time off because you’re the only one who can do the job, you’re risking burnout).


• Your commitment to inclusion (if you’re the only one who can do something, then you’re not inviting a diversity of people or approaches to contribute to better ways of getting it done). 


• Your perspective (if you start to think that you can never be let go — or you can never leave — because they need you so badly, you’re putting your job before your life). 



If you’re feeling indispensable at work, think about what you can do to expand the knowledge, abilities, capacities, and mindsets of the people around you. Here are five strategies for what to do if you notice that you’re becoming the one and only go-to person for a project or process:

1. Talk to your boss about what you’re noticing, and the concerns you have. Then offer to work with them to make a plan so that others can step in for you as needed. This will also give you experience as a mentor and coach – both of which can help boost your profile and career.
2. Document your processes so that others can readily access what you do and how you do it. Solicit feedback from your colleagues to make sure that what you’ve written is clear, concise, and easy to follow. Remember: just because it makes sense in your head doesn’t mean it translates well for others.
3. Offer to train your colleagues in your processes so that you have backup when you need it – and successors for the future. But don’t just teach them; be open to learning from them. Your colleagues may have new ideas and perspectives that you haven’t yet considered, and that can make your processes even better.
4. Set and maintain clear boundaries about your availability, especially on weekends, holidays and vacations. Create and communicate contingency plans for what to do in your absence.
5. Focus on your future by developing yourself with new skills and competencies so that you’re not stuck in your role. Think about where you want to be professionally in two to five years from now and start investing in your own development early. As the proverb reminds us, "The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now."

As rewarding as it is to feel needed at work, it’s more rewarding to make sure that others are needed too – both for their sake and for yours.