When your company sends a press release about the layoffs to the wire services and it accidentally gets released 24 hours before the event.
Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off
21–30 of 79 posts
Re: Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off
#22When the Director of HR and VP of Legal send a meeting request to you.
Actually, I got a surprise meeting request with CIO and Global Head of HR (and not even of his grim minions) - which I didn't think was good.
Got the meeting request while I was out of the office - got in to find my account locked out...
Not good I think - but I was on 6 months notice so WTF...
Turns out I was being notified of a restructuring and a new boss and my account being locked out was an unfortunate coincidence.
Mind you the entire office did get the bullet about a year later - I'd left by that point as it was clear that something was up....
Re: Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off
#23When the CEO puts "restructuring meeting" on the shared calendar accidentally.
Re: Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off
#24When a company that was previously very strict about line managers setting yearly and half-yearly performance objectives suddenly doesn't set any....
Re: Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off
#25When all your external vendors and subcontractors are told to stop working and ship back all materials.
Also when external vendors start dropping hints to you that they haven't been paid for their previous invoice (and you are not responsible for finances).
Re: Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off
#26When everything has been "We have to work really hard and long hours just to keep the startup alive!" (we were working 60+ hour weeks every week) and suddenly there's nothing to work on, and you're told you can take a few days off, and the boss is suddenly a lot harder to get ahold of (he worked in the parent office and came by to visit as much as possible).
...the next time you see your boss in person might be to tell you the apps he pretended were successful didn't actually make any money and he has to close the company down.
Re: Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off
#27Warning sign you're getting bought: someone asks for the licenses of all the open-source libraries in your stack...
Or that a "board member" wants detailed write ups on your processes.
Re: Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off
#28I'd say watch out for a meeting that's so important that it's split into two groups, and you're in the first group.
I had the unusual experience of having everyone else in the office being summoned to an HR meeting and me left at my desk as I'd already resigned...
Re: Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off
#29I'd say watch out for a meeting that's so important that it's split into two groups, and you're in the first group.
Or Conference room A Conference room B
Being a casualty in room A must be devastating. I've been a survivor in room B 3 times and each time I resented the turmoil of being happy for me and sad for them.
Re: Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off
#30[deleted]