How to Become Indispensable in 2026: Move Closer To Your Company's Core and Avoid Layoffs

Layoffs can make even strong performers feel uncertain. The good news is, job security isn’t only shaped by how well you perform, but also by how closely your work ties to the company’s core priorities.

In 2026, many companies are cutting entire teams and not just a few ‘slackers’. But don’t panic – I’m here to tell you that with a few smart moves at work, you can protect your role and future-proof your career.

A company’s core is work tied to revenue, the mission, or risks. For example, legal, safety, and security. 

If your role is a few steps removed from these areas, you’re not doomed. But consider this your nudge to get more intentional at work.

How can you do that? That’s where an experienced and certified career coach can help.

In this post, I’ll share five steps that the coaches at the IACC and I recommend for making yourself indispensable at work and strengthening your career.

1. Get Good at Explaining Why Your Work Matters

The people who are safest in their roles right now are those who are closer to their company’s core.

As I mentioned, the core tends to be the work that brings money in, keeps customers, improves efficiency, protects the business, or delivers something the business can’t operate without. 

But even if you’re not in sales or leadership, your role likely does support one of those areas. The important thing is being able to say how it does that, and clearly.

Move beyond vague and hazy statements like “I support my team” or “I keep X,Y, or Z running.” Instead, draft yourself a clean-cut explanation of the value you bring. 

Grab a pen and some paper and jot down answers to these questions: 

• Can you describe your role in one line, and in a way that shows how it supports revenue, retention, delivery, or risk reduction? 
• Back it up with two or three concrete examples. Maybe you saved time, reduced errors, improved client experience, supported a product launch, or helped the business work more efficiently? 
• Outline how you see your role supporting the company core over the next couple of years. Do you have a project idea? Or a specific system you think is worth trying?

General usefulness is a lot less protective than being able to demonstrate visible impact when layoffs are happening. 

In my experience, the people who are hardest to cut are the ones who can precisely explain why their work matters.

2. Align Your Work With Business Priorities

To future-proof your career, it can also help to shift a little of your focus away from your current responsibilities and funnel some towards where the business is heading. 

Job security is about keeping your eye on the work that’s becoming increasingly important, as well as doing your job well. Some questions to ask yourself are:

• Which teams are growing? 
• Which products or services are getting the most attention? 
• Which customer problems are leadership prioritizing? 
• Which tools or technologies is the business investing in?

I’m sure it’s not news to you, but this is especially important when it comes to conversations around AI and job security. In many workplaces, the question is no longer if AI will affect roles, but how. 

The strongest employees in any workplace are the ones who adapt to changes early and learn new tools. That doesn’t mean chasing every trend or panicking about AI layoffs, but stay savvy to where change is happening, and get closer to it. 

You can do that by being strategic about the projects you volunteer to take on. Learn the systems your company is rolling out. Ask where future investment is going. The more closely your work aligns with business priorities, the more indispensable you become.

–– Are you a career coach who wants to support your clients by helping them adapt to changes at work and build their resilience skills? Our next cohort for the Senior Professional Resilience Coach training starts soon!

3. Communicate Your Wins, Document Results, Build a Reputation

Great work doesn’t always speak for itself. You can be doing high-value work and still be vulnerable if not enough people know about it. 

Things move quickly during restructuring, leaving decision makers to advocate most easily for employees whose value is already visible. 

So, part of protecting yourself from layoffs is making your contributions easier to see and describe.

I’m not suggesting you become overly self-aggrandizing. But if you can communicate your wins clearly, document the results, and build a reputation for something, you’ll put yourself in a strong spot.

• Are you renowned for your problem-solving skills?
• Did you streamline a certain process?
• Are you a dab hand at building good rapport with clients?
• Have you helped teams work better together?

Colleagues beyond your line manager should know you and your work, because cross-functional credibility matters. The employees who are easiest to defend during a restructuring are the ones with a clear record of results and a positive presence at the organization.

4. Make Time to Upskill and Build Internal Relationships

I’ve heard it said that the strongest person in a team is the most flexible one. And this rings true when layoffs are occurring, with one of the safest positions being held by the person who can step into another area without a ton of friction. 

That’s where upskilling and reskilling matter. If you can grow into an adjacent function, support a new priority, or learn a skill the business increasingly needs, you’re easier to retain.

It’s also why internal relationships really matter. Redeployment is a lot smoother when other teams already know you, trust you, and can envisage you fitting in with their existing dynamic. 

My advice is to make time to nurture those connections – before you need them. 

5. Keep Your Adaptability and Confidence in Uncertain Times

If you can get curious about what other teams are focused on, you’ll move yourself closer to job security and future-proof your career. Look for overlap, offer to help on shared initiatives, and learn the language of the parts of the business that are becoming more central.

Make yourself indispensable at work by being the kind of person the company knows has done good work in its past, and sees fitting into its future.

And remember – in uncertain times, the goal isn’t to become fearful, but to become clearer and more confident in the unique value only you can bring.

To help you take the first step in moving closer to your company’s core, it could be worth hiring a career coach. Our directory of certified career coaches can help you find clarity and confidence when it comes to your work.

A coach can also help you to:

• Follow the strategies that work and increase your confidence that you’re asking the right questions, and taking the right steps.
• See things clearly so you make smarter decisions about how to position yourself at work.
• Keep calm and focused, so you don’t act out of fear or desperation.