Redundancy can be a very positive thing. Embrace being 100% replaceable at work

You can give years of loyalty, have friends in the right places, have a track record, have deep experience, a supporting boss, and, and, and…

It can change in an instant and for many reasons...

• Your health deteriorates. It goes without saying.
• The box (your role) is no longer needed.
• Your performance. Yes, that matters too.
• The strategy. There is none, or it changes.
• Your age. Yes, ageism is a real thing.
• Etc. Etc. Etc.

Get the picture?

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I first experienced this in the early 2000s when I worked in Brussels and in one of life's transition periods.

The company I worked for made a strategic growth decision to move its European hub to Germany. It was the right thing for the business. Still, it was a blow—not to my job, but to the many people around me. People were offered moves and redundancy packages. Some took it. Families were uprooted, and futures changed in an instant.?

It had a profound effect on me. I was young and na?ve. It made me realize that only I could be in control of my future. Not my boss. Not my company. Squarely, me.

It was also the time that I started to think about loyalty to a company. My attitude became not about how I stay employed but how ‘they’ earn the right to keep me. Arrogant? Perhaps. In those days, employer branding didn’t really have much traction or formality, and so I took every opportunity to get ahead – for myself.

Fast-forward a couple more years. I was burnt out—seriously so. I was newly divorced, and Belgium was no longer my future after 12 years. I resigned without a job. I was offered an option to keep my current job but move to Fort Lauderdale for a change of scenery and a fresh start. I said no—not because it wasn’t attractive; it wasn’t the right answer. It suited the company and the leader making the offer. Not me.

Then, one day, I saw a job that was a step down from the grade I was on and based in Singapore.? I took a copy to my boss, saying, "This is how the company keeps me.” He looked up from his desk, smiled, and said, “I can see how that works.” He made no promise, but he got me the interview in Singapore.

In that interview, the hiring manager asked the usual question about where I saw my future. I answered, “I am going to leave; it's the company's job to earn the right to keep me.” They hired me, and two years later, I left. My time with the brand had ended, and an entrepreneurial path was beckoning.

Before all my friends in HR and business defriend me on LinkedIn… Yes, you can (and should be) loyal to the company you choose to work for. Just expect you are unlikely to get it in return when things change, or you do.

Choose your destiny. Create it. Don’t leave it to chance or someone else. We should not live and work in a bubble.

I believe this is where my CliftonStrengths? Futuristic and Self-Assurance shine through. With my number 1 being Strategic, that star shines bright as I look at options and make connections so that I already have something else up my sleeve when one doesn't work out. In those days, I had not done the Clifton assessment yet, but looking back now - it's exactly how it played out, and it's encouraging that I can place it now by naming, claiming, and aiming it.

So what's the answer?

I believe everyone should plan to apply for a few jobs a year, especially when they are happiest and most productive. Keep a foot, a full leg if you must, in the market to test their value. Network, have options, have many. Be vocal, be visible, and take your digital footprint seriously. Have an opinion, and don't be bogged down with what colleagues, a boss, or your corporate communications team will say about your posts on platforms like LinkedIn.

The day will arrive when you are no longer needed or decide you are not fit. The work you do to invest in your personal brand while employed will pay dividends and make it much easier to navigate new waters when your time comes.

Foolishly, I took my eye off Brand ME. I was working in Loyalty la la Land. It was 2022, and my younger self from 2005 would have seriously raised her eyebrows.

Yes, I became 100% replaceable.

As I reflected on what happened, I realized that this didn't occur in 2022 but years before. I was comfortable—too comfortable—thinking to myself, just a few more years, Gwendy. Take your paycheck and dissatisfaction in your job, and then get out. My blinkers were on and very tight. Then, the decision was made for me. Poof! Two weeks before Christmas. Was I surprised? Yes. Only because it was not me deciding on my terms.

I had taken my eye off intentionally working on my strengths. I was doing exactly what I said I should not do all those years ago. I took for granted what I had. I left it to those around me and the circumstances to decide. I was going through the motions. I needed to be managing stakeholders more effectively. I was put in boxes I didn’t want to be in and just stuck around—the emphasis on stuck.

That said, it’s exactly what needed to happen to be where I am now.?

My experience has been positive. Redundancy has been a magical gift. I burst the bubble and have started to re-establish Brand ME and what my future holds on my terms.

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I am intentionally leaning into my CliftonStrengths.

I am starting to write again. I have always been a writer. I am not holding back this time because of what my colleagues, boss, or corporate communications team will think or say about my writing or posting on LinkedIn.? My Communication talent is in overdrive. I have taken back my power.

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So, where does that leave you?

Hopefully, you have been provoked or had a moment of reflection. Here is some encouragement to think about and discover or re-establish Brand YOU and plan for the day you become 100% replaceable.

• It’s your path – own it. No excuses anymore.
• Put your ego and loyalty to others aside.
• You become redundant before you are made redundant. Read that again.
• Follow a strengths-based approach. It’s very empowering.
• Work hard on yourself—every day. Be intentional.
• Have options. Seek them out proactively.

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When you are ready, get in touch. We can start by knowing and owning our strengths. Or just to have a chat as an introduction to how my experiences, bloopers, success, and frame of mind may help you in your journey.