Although being fired doesn't necessarily stem from any of these individual symptoms, the combination of them, particularly when exhibited over a period of time, should give you a pretty strong hint that all is not well with your position in the company. For instance:
- You start receiving a succession of memos from your boss pointing out things you haven't done, or have done poorly. Up until this point the criticisms have been verbal. Now what is probably happening is that a file is being built against you so that when it is time to dismiss you, there is documented reason for it. Every employer has to deal with the unpleasant reality of the litigious society in which we live, and employees are a lot quicker to sue over dismissal these days than they were in the past. Having a solid file to fall back on in the event of a lawsuit is very much to the employer's benefit.
- Another tip-off can be when you are no longer brought into the mainstream of the department's activities. A "silent treatment" develops, and there is a very normal reason for this. No one likes to fire somebody, and the tendency of someone who is about to do it is to avoid the individual. That brings up a good point in general about understanding the process of being fired. There are human beings in this world who actually derive pleasure from getting rid of an employee. Fortunately for mankind, those people are few and far between. Most of us dread the thought of having to tell another human being that they are losing their job and source of income. It is extremely distasteful, and human nature is such that we try to minimize the pain, maybe not so much for the person who's losing the job as for the ones who have to announce it. That's why the silent treatment often precedes breaking the news.
- The consultants begin to arrive, and they start probing into your job. Their arrival could mean a simple attempt on the part of management to improve productivity. There's as much of a chance, however, that they are on the scene to recommend ways to cut staff (you if they focus attention upon you) and might also be looking to gain insight from you about how you do your job, to pass it on to a replacement.
- A merger or takeover occurs. Generally, employees of a smaller company that is taken over by a larger one are in the most jeopardy of losing their jobs, particularly if there is a duplication of function. Of course, there are conditions that make it impractical for the acquiring company to direct the smaller company. Ask a few questions about their corporate structure and you'll discover whether or not this is practical.
- Jobs handled by you are now going to other people in the department. Often, the excuse for this is that management has recognized that you are overworked and is trying to take the burden off you. This may be true in certain instances, but it may indicate the beginning of a process to lessen your responsibilities so that when you are ultimately dismissed, the department won't suffer as much.
- You do not figure in the company's long-term plans. Your peers begin moving up to positions of increased responsibility, and you are left behind. This doesn't necessarily mean you are about to be fired, but it should be a signal that your future, at least with that company is limited and you should begin putting feelers out elsewhere.
