How to Tell If Your Job Is At Risk
Job Security is a phrase that is vitally important to anyone who is employed. We all want our jobs to be safe, our work to be valued and it all to stay that way. However, there are situations in which the employee feels surprised as they come into work on a seemingly normal day only to discover that their position at the company no longer exists or was cut back extensively.
Should You Look for New Work?
This is why it is so important to notice these danger signs before that dreaded layoff occurs. Be observant and actively seek these common traits. You have the potential to make the correct decision about a job, and possibly prevent an employment gap and further insecurity.Career Help Center
Danger Signs That Signal It May Be Time for You to Leave
There are many changes in a company that signals a decline. What's important is being able to differentiate the right signals from the wrong ones. Then to determine whether you should stay with a company or leave.- Less Power, Less Responsibility
If you notice a prolonged decline in the amount of available work, this could be a major indicator that something is wrong. Possibly it is a signal telling you to start looking for a new place to work. Of course, most companies are cyclical, and they receive higher concentrations of work at varying times of the year. If there is an abnormal decline in the amount of work they give you that's something to consider.
Think about it this way. If the company is going to fire someone, they aren't going to immerse them in a new project. They are going to phase that employee out by making their contributions less valuable to the organization. - Isolation Island
Suddenly you find yourself feeling very alone in your workplace. Your boss seems near impossible to get hold of, and your coworkers treat you like an outcast. Keep in mind that this needs to be abrupt and highly noticeable for this circumstance to be applicable. This occurrence in and of itself may happen because of something other than an attempt to isolate you. It is easy to let paranoia get the best of you and imagine that these things are happening. - New Hires/Mergers
Often when a company is going through a giant overhaul, you will notice a large number of new hires. Whether they hire management or other employees be cautious if an employee with the same skill set as yours gets hired. This hiring may be a warning sign that they could replace you soon. - Unfavorable Reviews
Most companies go through the tedious process of giving performance reviews. One of the clues that can lead you to believe that they might have chosen you for a layoff is an unexpectedly poor performance review.
You know the quality of the work that you provide to the company, and you most likely received a performance review from them previously. So if surprisingly bad performance reviews suddenly appear you should consider that as a sign because perhaps it means that your job is at risk. - Financial Quandaries
Hearing upper management complain about tight finances is another warning sign that maybe things are going to be getting slim at your company. It is normal for a company to attempt to save money and increase efficiency. However, it indicates a problem when they start to cut back on essentials and skimp on things that they never have in the past. That may be the S.O.S. that you need to jump ship to another job.
What to Do About It
- Don't Show Your Feelings
No matter how discouraged you are, don't show that you are aware of your position's decline. Remember, you are going to be searching for another job in the meantime, so you don't want people to be aware of that.
Soldier on with your day-to-day activities and maintain a positive attitude to present the illusion that you are happy with your job and all is well. - Do Your Best Work
Give all of your work your best effort and make yourself known throughout the company, get noticed at work. Even if you choose not to stay at the company, it would at least be a benefit to be able to have a quality reference for your new job. - Make Yourself Known
Become a presence in the office and make it so that people remember the quality of your work. Not only should you produce high-quality work for yourself, but be helpful to others to make yourself more of an asset in your work community. - Remain Positive
Even though you are dealing with a very stressful time right now, it is best to remain positive, especially when searching for a new job. There is something out there for you, and who knows, it might even be better than what you have currently.
