You think you need your job, but is it that your job needs you?

[ThisWiseEagle]

I’ve been thinking about how much value employees bring to a company. We’re often made to feel like we should be grateful for having a job, but doesn’t the company also need us to function? After all, without employees, no business could succeed.

Do you ever think about whether your job needs you more than you need it? Or is that just wishful thinking in most cases? AIBU to wonder if we underestimate our worth in the workplace?

What they won't have is the opportunity to do the extras. So their basic wage will be the same. The additional income from consulting roles tbh isn't life changing but that is unique to me

Neither it is a contract you make where you offer time and expertise and or experience and they pay you on that basis.

So it is reciprocal.

My employer would be screwed without me. If I won the lottery tomorrow they would finally realise they should have listened to me and given me more (decent) staff to cross train on business critical tasks.

I hate the pressure and expectation that comes with nearly 30 years experience, would love to walk away but part of me can't be arsed with the thought of starting again.

I think an employer needs "a person" to do the job. In that respect, as an individual, we are dispensable.

What they won't have is the opportunity to do the extras. So their basic wage will be the same. The additional income from consulting roles tbh isn't life changing but that is unique to me

No, the basic wage of a new hire when an experienced specialist leaves won't be the same, I'm not thinking of roles with 'extras' or consulting. We're obviously thinking about different scenarios in different workplaces.

They need me more than I need them because it's a job in demand that it's difficult to get good candidates for, so I can move elsewhere really easily whilst it may take them a bit longer to replace me. But I'm not indispensable, I'm just another cog in the machine.

We're all indispensable 🤷‍♀️

It's a symbiotic relationship.

employee has skills and attributes an employer needs and wants
employer has job vacancy and benefits an employee needs and wants

where there is an imbalance of supply to demand eg niche skills, the employee can get to call the shots more readily

where there is an imbalance of demand to supply eg unskilled or semiskilled, the employer gets to call the shots - they often show who they are in this situation, by treating the employee poorly because they know there are 100s of others clamouring for the work.

it's pointless bothering about who needs who more - make yourself in some way indispensable, and you're more likely that they'll need you, but there's are no guarantees in life.

Nah, my job doesn't need me. I could be replaced quite easily and actually with someone who would work quicker and so meet the kpis much better, most likely. I have chronic health conditions so work slow. I did work fast to begin with, but that just messed me up - they encouraged me to slow down.

They're keen to retain me because whilst I need to work slow, the quality of my work is consistently extremely high - often saving their arses during audits and checks. But an overall look at my quantitiy of work shows I am below average there.

If I left, they'd replace me very fast though and not be too much at detriment - would probably have to poke some others in my team to up their game quality wise, but they totally could, so no big deal, and kpis would be better.

Don't you mean dispensable?

My job definitely needs me more than I need it!

You're very wrong I'm afraid. In the health sector there is a skills and recruitment crisis. Anyone trained in a specialist field is very sought after and can make twice as much in private practice than the NHS. We don't stay for the pay and conditions

My last job needed me because they cut positions and I was the fool who did all the work and long hours with no extra pay. There was no question I was going to meet every deadline despite not being compensated for it.

My new job do not need me, but treat me much better.

How do you know that's how @BobbleHatsRule 's employers handle their recruitment campaigns? That's a false assumption that they will pay the same - they could recruit internally in which case they may have someone making a sideways move into the role, or promoting someone because they have worked at the company and have the transferable skills. In both these scenarios they would set the salary / grade according to the person's ability and experience for the role.

Being needed in your workplace doesn’t mean you’re indispensable. I’m needed in my job, my employers value me and if I left tomorrow they’d be in a hole because of some specific work I do that needs a particular knowledge base and skill set. It would take them time to find the right person and in the meantime they’d struggle with certain projects that they are contractually committed to deliver.

If I left of course they’d replace me, that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t feel the impact of me leaving.

There were three of us "got rid of as we were useless" and sent to different work as the new bosses took over. They delighted in saying how wonderful they were now doing - until the authorities did an inspection and they were closed down and five years later still in special measures.
So they obviously did need us.

I'm a well-qualified, experienced maths teacher. I work in an independent school, where I earn probably 8k less than I would in a similar sized state school. There's no queue outside the door waiting to replace me! Even then, of course they would replace me if I left, but I know they'd rather not.

That said, it's a really nice place to work. The school literally doesn't have the finances to pay more, so they know recruitment and retention rests on working conditions. The work load is very high (boarding school, evening/Saturday duties etc) but there's no pointless work, which makes an enormous difference. Most teachers are very happy to work hard if they're actually making a difference.

I think you are valuable like a piece of kit to them - while functioning smoothly it has worth. It can be nurtured, lovingly cared for and carefully maintained. Once it's broken, old, obsolete or has been retired, or when a new shinier model is available then it gets put to one side, forgotten or decommissioned and is irrelevant.
The institution can't have permanent ongoing feelings or loyalties because it is a collective endeavour of everyone working there and those people keep changing. Relationship to the institution is contractual and works one way in the direction of benefit to the institution.

doesn’t the company also need us to function? After all, without employees, no business could succeed.
Do you ever think about whether your job needs you more than you need it?

Nope, your company will give you the P45 (redundancy) in a heartbeat if it means that the bosses can save their arses.

If you think your indispensable take a bucket of water put your hand in and take it out the hole left will be the measure of the effect of you leaving.

Doubtful. The role is normally assigned a salary rather than the person.

My work place does not care if they hire two incompetent workers instead of me that can do both their jobs at the same time hahaha. Even though it works out cheaper =p

I am on mat leave i fully expect it to be on fire when i get back ,the regulars must be so peeved

i dont care either but finding any work is a nightmare so i am stuck were i am ,i am under no illusion .

I do - that'll teach me for posting before my morning coffee

I'm definitely replaceable, easily replaceable in fact. But I am the only person in the workplace small enough with small enough hands to do tasks in confined spaces so I'm quite valuable to my employer in that sense. Especially as my career is male dominated so most will be bigger than me with much bigger hands (they had to specially order smaller gloves for me )

Who has the upper hand employer or employee?
If there is a lack of workers able to do the work that needs to be done then the workers have the upper hand.
If there's a large amount of people seeking work and not enough work available then the employer has the upper hand.