Are you wondering why your boss doesn’t assign you for that important project? Why does the room get suddenly silent with awkward atmosphere when you walk in? Or why is your supervisor avoiding meeting you face-to-face? If you are confronted with similar scenarios at work, then it is a matter of concern to indicate you might be out of job soon.
Almost none in this world fancy the idea of being unemployed. In general, getting laid off often comes as a dreadful experience to damage your reputation, kill your self-confidence, and even ruin your whole life. But, what if you actually sense red-flags that your job might be at risk, and take necessary action in advance?
At some point, most people sense when something is wrong with their job, colleague, or boss. When your relationship with other people in the workplace suddenly changes, or when you fail to meet the organisation’s expectation, some kind of insecure thoughts hover your mind such as ‘I might be fired soon’.
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The truth is, there are often both subtle and clear clues that tell, something is indeed not right with your job. Here are several signs that indicate if your boss is considering to letting you go:
When in the past, you barely made time for a break due to tight schedules, and suddenly you see a dip in the tasks and responsibilities entrusted to you, then chances are, perhaps the management is planning some cost-cutting and layoffs on anvil.
When was the last time you’re summoned to directional meetings, or invited for an important discussion in the chat group? If similar invitation decreases or even diminishes all of sudden, you should start worrying about being unnoticed.
When you feel that your voice is not heard, your presence does not matter anymore, or your project report is not addressed properly, these might be red-flags of your future dismissal.
When your co-workers treat you differently and even keep distance from you, this might be a bad sign. When people stay away from you without any clear reason, they might have known something that you don’t.
When you used to work well with your boss and if all of a sudden everything seems wrong – your lack of judgement, questioning your decision making ability, competency to meet deadlines on time, then this could be a warning. If they are monitoring your work closer than before, then maybe they are trying to find out any slip-ups.
When you make mistakes in the latest assignment but your supervisor does not seem to care about it, this could be a bad sign. It means that management believes that everything you do, does not matter anymore, since you will leave soon.
When your employer intends to terminate you, they need clear evidence that you cannot meet company’s expectations. One of the methods is giving you mission impossible: massive assignments with impossible deadlines and pressure, such that you will eventually fail.
When you fail accomplishing the targets, you will receive negative and poor feedbacks, which makes it perfect reason to fire you soon.
When you hear that your company is going through mergers, you might be vulnerable to some layoffs, especially when you are a regular employee. Certain change in leadership at the helm often brings change in management too. And if they do not see you fit in the work culture, new hires will come in and take your job.
Losing the job you have been pursuing for years might not be something you can cope with easily. If you do not want to be caught off guard and forced to tread the unemployment path, it is crucial to keep your eyes wide open and keep your ears to the ground.
When you think that your performance hampers organisation’s business goals, then you should pay closest attention to every subtlest behaviour change in your surroundings. When you know where to look at, you can take all needed deeds to secure your job.
However, when you have done your best and it does not help improving your situation, then the best thing you can do is preparing yourself with the probability of getting fired. Instead of creating a scene and blaming others, you should look inside for answers and find out if the problems actually come from within. Only then can you improve upon yourself and move on to better job prospects.
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