Signs That a Layoff Is Coming

Signs That a Layoff Is Coming

Layoffs. It’s a common occurrence in the workplace, and you’ll likely experience or witness it at some point in your career. In the previous years, December and January are the two months when mass layoffs happen most as budgets flip over for the new year, but lately, these layoffs have been happening at any time depending on the health of a company.

The coronavirus pandemic has caused many companies to reevaluate their staff, perks, and ways of conducting business. The second-quarter GDP plunge of 32.9% is the worst drop on record. Far more pronounced since The Great Depression, The Great Recession, and demobilization after World War II. Retail giant Wal-Mart is expected to reduce its corporate workforce, despite being a staple during the different phases of lockdown.

In cases like Wal-Mart’s, it’s not only the dissatisfied and underperforming workers that will be let go. When a company is struggling financially or the economy takes a downturn, even capable workers can lose their jobs. Once a company decides to pursue a mass layoff, signs will appear that this is the case.

When a Mass Layoff Is Imminent

The more signs you see, the more likely that a layoff is coming.

  • The company has been failing to hit targets for some time
  • Nonessential budgets are reduced or cut
  • Long-term planning ceases to continue
  • Teams and offices are streamlined to eliminate redundancies
  • Raises and promotions are placed on hold (even pre-approved ones)
  • Hiring comes to a freeze, including preapproved ones
  • Scheduled projects are postponed or canceled
  • Managers hold closed-door meetings more frequently
  • Conference rooms are booked by HR all-day
  • The flow of communication and reporting structure changes
  • Senior managers are more agitated or stressed
  • Senior managers start to resign
  • The company pivots or undergoes a restructuring
  • A new leader steps in at the company
  • The company is merged or acquired
  • Internal job postings get taken down
  • A Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) is issued
  • Managers begin to hint at impending layoffs

Clues That Point to You Being Cut

  • You work on a project that is not generating revenue
  • You don’t have close ties to clients or business partners who help generate funds
  • Senior management inquires about what you do or you’re asked to write a job description
  • You are left out of important meetings and your manager shares less information with you
  • Your manager hints at changes you should make to your work or behavior
  • Your access to company accounts is denied
  • Your role is increasingly obsolete
  • Your hours are reduced (if you’re a nonexempt employee)
  • You’re invited to a group meeting with the department head, and her personal assistant confirms with you that you’ll be there

What Next?

If you sense that a layoff is coming, you can take steps to prove that you’re an invaluable and productive member of the company as a final attempt to save your job. What we’d suggest though is to invest more time and energy into updating your resume and reaching out to your network for new opportunities. By the time the layoff signs appear, the company will have an idea of who it plans to cut. By then, it may be too late to change that list.

Those who survive a layoff will often endure a tough transition, overcoming low company morale, and increased pressure to perform for the business. For those who don’t make it through a cut: Take some time to think about why you were let go and how things can be changed at your next job. Remember, layoffs are not always due to bad performance so don’t beat yourself up if this is the case for you. The end of your old job is a start of a new adventure. Hopefully, you paid attention to the cues we’ve provided and lined up that new opportunity already.

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