** Click here for Episode 159 **
Here’s a question from Anonymous Bureaucrat:
I work for a Government department, which has to reduce its admin budget spend by some 30%. I love my job and also quite like being paid. But they need to get rid of some of us, and they are choosing which ones by March 2011.
So, answer me this: what’s a good way of making your boss believe you are indispensable and/or fantastic?
Without scaring him.
Obviously, being consistently brilliant at my job over the last 5 years would be a good first step. But imagine I forgot to do that bit.
Wel,l we forgot to make ourselves sufficiently employable to have proper jobs at all recently, but perhaps you readers have managed to hang on to yours. In which case, please share your secrets in the comments.
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Answer Me This! Podcast 
December 9, 2010 at 11:01 am |
I like Dave O’s suggestion about “Family Issues” much more than my photos with a hooker idea!
Possibly slightly less illegal too which is a bonus.
December 9, 2010 at 10:03 am |
I can think of two possible strategies.
Firstly you could just sleep with your boss. You’re in a much better situation than me to judge whether this would be a good idea. Just remember that if you end up involved in some kind of sexual harassment case then your definitely first for the chop. If you find your boss physically repulsive just think how much you want to keep your job.
Secondly, this is a less risky strategy, but try and make your boss emotionally relate to you. They will find it a lot harder to jettison you if they think of you as a human being. Mention little things from home a lot, your kids names, that your having family to visit and so on. If you really want to go for the hard sell then I suggest going to see your boss for a “quiet chat”. Tell them that your having a hard time at the moment “at home” that your trying your best to be professional but you apologies if you get upset easily (soften your voice at this bit, start crying if you can). Then, when they ask you what is wrong and I promise you they will. Say your mum had tried to commit suicide and the whole family is in a panic. This is an amazingly good lie. There is no way your boss is going to ask anyone in your family if this is true. You haven’t even said she has been in hospital ans so there is no paper trail to follow. And best of all your boss now thinks your mum is a nut job and you can roll out the “my mum’s just tried to kill herself” excuse again every time their a conference you don’t want to go to.
Lets see them make you redundant after that.
December 9, 2010 at 8:54 am |
There is always blackmail… And with the Christmas Party season there must be a way of generating some scandal that you can usefully use…..