If you think you are a vital cog in the office machinery, take a closer look. There might be little signs that show you are not as indispensable to your colleagues or your boss as you thought you were.

Seven situations that show your office doesn't need you anymore:

You don't know things

The moment you find that you don't know what is going on at office, you can be sure there is something amiss. Just the fact that you are unaware of things, shows that your colleagues didn't think it was important to talk to you about it. Moreover, discussions are an integral part of the office culture. It is not necessary to be the first to know, but knowing is vital.

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You miss a day but no one misses you

The day no one notices you aren't there is one of the worst things that can happen. Not being noticed at work every day is one thing but not being missed is a whole different story. If that be the case, you would be well advised to start anew someplace else.

They stop asking you to hand in the project you were working on

Notice how you always have to meet deadlines, or have a set of responsibilities that only you are assigned to carry out. Now imagine that you had none, no responsibilities, the project that was important a week ago doesn't seem to matter at all now. No one asks about it, in fact no one seems to remember it. When no one needs the work you are doing, it might be time for you to start looking for alternative employment.

You have free time most of the time

Is everyone always busier than you? Well if they are, find out what they are doing and busy yourself. The unsaid rule at any workplace is that you should always be busy. Work drives profit and profit translates into bonus income. But if you have no work in the first place, why do you need to get paid? Free time is fun, but you enjoying excessive free time at office will ensure people remember that you have nothing constructive to do.

There's a new guy doing what you do

Okay, so you are good at what you do, but then there's another guy who's doing exactly what you do and with only half your professional experience. You might just put it down to him/ her learning the ropes� but take a closer look. You might just notice that he's doing more work than you, work that you were responsible for.

Colleagues snigger when you say you have something important to do

All of us have a few laughs and more at office, but the moment you are the subject of ridicule, it changes the paradigm completely. So, the next time you say you have important work or something crucial to do for the company, and hear a few muffled sniggers, you can be sure you're colleagues don't think you as invaluable as you originally thought.

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The rumour about your department closing doesn't seem like a rumour anymore

You may have heard that your department was closing, but when you actually get the feeling it is, you know that your boss doesn't need you anymore. Maybe you could shift departments, but if the basis of your existence at the organisation was a specialisation in a particular field, then take it as a sign that you're not quite as vital to the growth of the organisation as you'd like.

There may be other signs, there may be other cues, but always trust your instincts. If you feel you are needed, you probably are; and if you're still employed with them, then you definitely are. But don't let your ego dictate the terms and fill your head with notions like you are indispensable. Remember, everyone should be worth his or her value; if you feel you aren't, it is time you get to work and prove the office hawks wrong.