In the era of budget cuts, layoffs and company “re-orgs”, everyone has to find a way to make themselves relevant. Whether you have been doing the same job for a few months or several years you constantly have to ind a way to reinvent yourself. One common theme I find interesting is when we have an employee who leaves, the person who replaces them rarely does the exact same job as their predecessor.

What I mean by this is, we are always reinventing titles and roles within a company but the invention stops when someone occupies a seat for a period of time. This is when you become expendable. If you have been in the same role over a period of time, the odds of you being on the cut list continue to grow.

Here are the top 3 reasons you may be expendable:

1. Your Salary Keeps Rising, Your Duties Haven’t

We have seen it over and over. Employee X is being paid 3 times what they are worth because due to cost of living expenses, inflated bonus plans and years spent on the job. You can’t help it as an employee and I’m not going to advise you to turn down the checks but make sure you are adding to your duties each year with that salary raise, even if the company isn’t asking more of you. Like a good Utility player in baseball, you should be able to play multiple positions.

2. You Don’t Make Yourself Available

We are in the tech age, you should be plugged in whether you like it or not. Answer an email or two at night, make it known you can be reached. Be the first to volunteer on a weekend. Show up to the charity event and donate time just because. It’s always easier to cut the fat that hasn’t been seen or isn’t accessible. Make sure you are known to be able to contribute in all facets.

3. Speak Up

Make it known that you have a career plan and that you are going to achieve it with the help of your company. If everyone understands your goals then thy will understand how to beat utilize your talents. Speak up in meetings, around the office and be vocal. Its way to forget about those who stay quiet and in the back corner. It’s much more difficult to turn down the ones who use their voice.