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Recognizing the Signs You May Lose Your Job
In these trying economic times, companies are reassessing their strategies, which includes the roles of their employees. Even if you have been employed for years and have always received excellent performance reviews, you cannot assume your position is secure, particularly when entire departments may be cut. So you won't be caught unprepared, here are some signals to watch out for.
The Consultant
When companies decide it's time to reorganize, they'll often bring in a consultant as an objective evaluator. Often he is the one to decide who stays and who goes, even if the formal authority lies with the company's executives. When you get wind that a consultant is being brought in, you will want to update your resumé and keep it close at hand – you will have to convince him that you have a place in the new structure of the company, or else you will need to convince a new employer of your professional abilities.
Closed-door Meetings
When a boss who used to have an open-door policy suddenly spends a lot of time sequestered in closed-door meetings with the higher-ups and refuses to talk about it, things are about to happen. You can try asking him directly if they are going to be laying people off, but don't expect a straight answer. Managers have been known to publicly deny that there will be layoffs only weeks before they happen.
A New Boss
If your department suddenly gets a new manager, it is very likely that he will bring along his own team -- people with whom he had worked before and therefore trusts. Even if your professional position seems unassailable, the new boss doesn't know your abilities. This situation doesn't occur all the times (senior management can accept him in the new position on the condition that he keeps the old team) but this is often a temporary reprieve. Instead of an immediate purge, there will only be a grace period in which each person will be evaluated for possible replacement. Update your resumé and start looking for other work.
Change in Responsibilities
Some experts say that if your responsibilities suddenly change, particularly without a prior evaluation (the usual reason for promotion or raise in salary), and particularly if the new position is presented as a true opportunity, but you know very well that no one wants that job, it is a sign of trouble in the offing. If, on the contrary, you are given less and less work or work of a trivial nature, or if meetings are repeatedly organized without your knowledge, then you would be wise to consider it a warning that it's time to jump before you're kicked.
