Signs your Job is at Risk
Call it a premonition, intuition, or just a hunch, but the job you've held for years and years feels like it's at risk. You're punctual, you have a good attendance record, you perform your work well – heck, you even come in when you're sick – yet you can't shake the gnawing uneasiness that your head may soon be on the chopping block. Here are some of the telltale signs that could spell danger for your job.
Long-term employees are getting the axe
Employees who have been at the company "forever" are being let go or forced out. You'd always thought your longevity at the company was an asset – now you're wondering if it's become a liability. You notice that younger employees are being hired, and you hear through the grapevine that their salaries are quite a cut below their predecessors'. You begin feeling frightened and vulnerable, worrying that your job is not as secure as you think it is.
Criticism increases
Do you sense a change in attitudes toward you? Are you being kept more and more out of the loop? If you answered "yes," your risk of dismissal is high. If you start noticing an increase in verbal criticism, it could spell trouble for you. And if you're criticized in writing – either in emails or in hard copy memos which are passed along to your Human Resources file – your employer may be generating a paper trail to prove just cause for termination.
Attitude changes
Are colleagues beginning to avoid you, or change their attitude toward you from positive to neutral, or blatantly negative? Are subordinates and superiors giving you the cold shoulder? Are you being excluded from regular meetings? Do you find yourself isolated from the corporate mainstream? Have co-workers stopped asking you out to lunch? These are all signs that your job could be at risk, and that you should have an emergency plan prepared in case you're fired.
Unanticipated changes
Without prior notice, discussion or approval from you, your job duties are restructured. You might be physically relocated to a less active or less important department. Your pay is reduced with only a vague explanation – if you receive any explanation at all. These are all ominous signs that more drastic changes could be in the wind. If you're being backed into a corner of tedious, meaningless dead-end projects and lower pay, now's the time to start updating your resume – not later.
You see an ad for your job
You're skimming job postings when you see ad from your employer. You read the duties and responsibilities and are shocked – the ad is for your position! If the company is growing and striving to expand their staff, you're in the clear. If it's not, your job is at risk and you might soon be replaced. And, to add insult to injury, you may even be asked to train a new employee for the tasks that you used to perform. Polish up your resume so you can be prepared, should the worst case scenario become reality.
The boss is cross
If you and your boss don't get along, your job could be in serious jeopardy. When your boss is asked to give someone a pink slip, you'll be an easy and obvious target. If you're having issues with your boss, find ways to move – even laterally – within the company. Impossible? Then, even if it's difficult, try brownnosing to the boss. Your pride may take a hit, but you might manage to salvage your job.
You're not invited
When you're suddenly left out of key meetings that you used to regularly attend, it may be because you have been targeted as a possible job-elimination candidate. If your previously scheduled meetings stop without any explanation, or if they start taking place without you, your job could be seriously at risk.
Mystery projects
When a high-priority project is suddenly taken off your plate without explanation, beware. If your boss only gives sketchy details as to why a significant endeavor is now a non-event, this could be a bright red flag that your job or division is about to be dismantled.
In this unstable economy, many employees have become victims of downsizing and job cuts. There are subtle and blatant signals that your job could be at risk. Trust your instincts, be aware of what to expect, and have a plan in place so you can be proactive if worst comes to worst.
