You Are Not Indispensable — No Matter How Important You Think You Are

Your Teammates Are Not Your Friends

Every morning, lakhs of Indians enter office buildings with a smile. By evening, many leave tired, and not only from work. They are tired from watching, guessing and protecting themselves.

I have spent many years in corporate jobs. I have seen how politics works at the low, middle and top levels. I have also seen how owners think. Here is what I learned.

Teammates are also competitors

On paper, you are a team. In reality, everyone is fighting for the same limited things: a good rating, a promotion, a bonus and safety from layoffs.

So people show their work loudly and share their knowledge slowly. Credit is taken quickly. Mistakes are pointed out in meetings. Most people do not do this out of hatred. They do it because fear pushes them to.

Why is the raise only 1 or 2 percent?

A large company can easily pay 20 or 30 percent more. It spends huge amounts on things you never see. The reason it does not pay is simple.

1. A raise costs the company every year, forever. One small raise across 50,000 employees becomes a very large yearly cost.

2. Comfort keeps you. Money does not. When your salary grows fast, you get options. You can quit, take risks or start your own business. A small raise keeps you close to your EMI, your rent and your school fees. Over time you stop looking outside.

3. The market supports them. For every person who leaves, many are waiting to join. The company loses very little.

4. The maths works against you. Suppose you get 2 percent and prices rise 6 percent. Your real income goes down every year. Most people notice this only after many years.

Even a top performer gets 10 percent at best. That is not a reward. It is a carefully measured amount.

Who survives?

Skill is only one part of survival. Some people are good at office politics. They know whom to praise, whom to avoid and when to stay silent. Some even create toxic situations to make others look weak.

Kind, emotional and honest people often struggle here. Introverts struggle even more, unless they are very strong in their technology and cannot be replaced.

This is not a rule for every office. But it happens more often than we admit.

The truth about power

The main person who gains from your work is the owner or the shareholder. You get a salary. They get the profit and the growth in value.

Even a person at the very top can be removed in one day. A new leader arrives, a business plan changes, and a long career ends with one email. I have seen it happen.

Are there good sides?

Yes. A monthly salary is stable. You learn skills, meet people and build a name. Health insurance and a provident fund give some safety.

But look closely. Each good side has a cost. The stable salary makes you afraid to leave. The skills you learn mostly grow the company’s business. The safety makes you accept less than you deserve. What feels good today often becomes a bad memory later.

What should you do?

• Work honestly, but keep your feelings for home. Go to office, do your work and return home.
• Do not share your personal problems at work. They can be used against you.
• Make friends outside your office. Real friendship survives after the job ends.
• Build a second income or skill. Independence is the only real protection.
• Never depend on one employer. Loyalty is not returned in the same way.

Corporate life is not evil. It is a business arrangement, and it is honest only when you see it as one.

Do your job well. But never forget that the company can replace you in a day, so do not give it your whole life.

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