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Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off

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Re: Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off

#71
post #67

When you are asked to sign a non-compete agreement, or agreement to use binding arbitration where no such agreement was in place before. When your supervisor isn't interested in keeping you busy. When suppliers call you instead of accounts payable because no one in accounts payable is answering the phone. When you can't get approval from the top for ANY large purchase requisition. When the VP of HR is extremely busy…

Closed door meetings with odd combinations of managers that don't normally meet is a HUGE red flag.

Re: Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off

#72
post #7

The one that got me, was the German company I was working for was bankrupted by the president of the company as a key sale of the software product fell through. He did it on December 23rd, before any of the directors could intervene (A quirk of german company law). I found out on the phone on the 28th while back in the UK. Fun times. So my contribution: "When it appears the directors bet the company on a single sale…

Honestly, I think that is what you heard down the grapevine. Sounds like a cover up for something much more heinous. Was this information public/private, how did you find out? (Not attacking your trust, just sounds a bit odd to me)

I flew back and collected my stuff, even going back to the office. The place was dead and I met with some of the people. They were in utter shock. Over 30 people's livelihoods destroyed.

Re: Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off

#73
post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I once got called at home the Monday after I'd left a company to hear that I'd been "laid off". The previous Friday had been my official last day (planned exit, I was going off to college), but I had banked a bunch of unused vacation days, and they were calling to let me know that they wouldn't be able to pay out the remainder of my vacation pay. Much later, when I got into the workforce for real, I learned that I co…

>if I'd played my cards right, I could've been drawing unemployment for my first year at college. What state was this in? That is certainly illegal in California, and I would assume most states, though people do get away with defrauding the system.

It was Massachusetts. A number of people told me later that I could've collected, and a quick glance through Massachusett's Unemployment Insurance FAQ shows no mention of being a student other than UI not covering student work-study programs for financial aid:

http://www.mass.gov/lwd/unemployment-insur/resources/questio...

I didn't because it never occurred to me - as far as I was concerned, I left my job normally to go to college and they just didn't pay out the vacation pay. I wasn't hurting for money then or now (I was still living with my parents at the time), so I don't really regret it, but it does appear to be a real, genuine loophole in the system.

Re: Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off

#74

Personal experience: when you are working late and you hear suspicious noises in the executive quarter. After arming yourself with a nice long bar of metal you come across the CFO who is hurriedly packing all the expensive computers into the back of his car. When confronted he offers to pay you your outstanding invoice cash in return for your silence...

[deleted]

Re: Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off

#75
post #66
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Company wide meeting called. Survivors were warned beforehand and told to sneak off to lunch. While in the meeting they locked us out of our computers. For bonus points, do it on the 31st of the month so nobody has health care the next day.

Assuming you're in the US, that's not how healthcare works. You'd still be covered by your current plan as part of the provisions of COBRA. You have 60 days to elect coverage, if you had a medical need at any point during that time, you could seek care immediately and then deal with the paperwork later. If you get laid off today in the US, you have two full months to either 1) sign up via COBRA to stay on your old pl…

He probably means that healthcare coverage is typically through the end of the month. If you're planning on quitting, do it on the first day of the month so you have coverage before even needing to think about COBRA.

Re: Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off

#76
post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly, I think that is what you heard down the grapevine. Sounds like a cover up for something much more heinous. Was this information public/private, how did you find out? (Not attacking your trust, just sounds a bit odd to me)

I flew back and collected my stuff, even going back to the office. The place was dead and I met with some of the people. They were in utter shock. Over 30 people's livelihoods destroyed.

Really terrible. Since working at a corporation, I no longer look at Dilbert comics the same way. Man, so much waste, so much lack of backbone, so many of the wrong people in the right positions. I'd really like to read a book that explains why almost every corporation, aside from maybe a select few, have the "oh-thats-just-a-quirk-of-XYZ-leave-it-alone-not-worth-getting-fired-over." You basically end up getting a workforce that does the bare minimum to say they are still working. I mean, I talked to my manager the other day, an abusive one at that, and I told him, just do it already, fucking fire me. But he says he can't. I will just be "purged" by the performance review process.. What a fucking joke.

Re: Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off

#77

When you try to enter office's multi-level parking but your access key doesn't work. When the Director/VP/Head says "even though the market has turned, we have _no_ plans to lay people off" When you receive a notification that your privileges have been revoked. When you see a voicemail (or tweet in case of Twitter) from HR around Friday afternoon/evening or early Monday morning. When you apply for vacation but the re…

When you show up to work and there is a cardboard box on your desk and someone from HR loitering by (if your keycard even worked)

Re: Warning Signs You're About to Be Laid-Off

#79
post #54
post #39

When somebody needs to say "let's get all outstanding code checked-in ASAP!"

That one's in the article. My contribution: when we have a new CEO and she starts asking how much revenue cost centers generate.

You misunderstand me - the fact that there is "outstanding code" should have alarm bells ringing
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