Signs You Are About To Get Sacked

The WarningSignsOfCorporateDoom list several indicators that your company/department is in serious peril, and you may lose your job (in a layoff) as a result. It is good to heed them.

This page concerns a related but different topic--signs that although your employer may be doing fine, you have been targeted for elimination.

• A PerformanceReview? is scheduled at an unusual time, and/or in an out-of-the-way conference room.
  • Someone from HumanResources is also present at the meeting
    • Someone from security is present at the meeting.

• You are the CEO, and after several quarters of bad news, a COO is brought in to "assist" you. (See ScottMcNealy)
  • In general, anytime a newcomer comes in and assumes most of your responsibilities (and nobody else's), and this isn't part of a pre-arranged career transition on your part (such as training your replacement before a promotion).

• You become the ScapeGoat (or the CulpableGoat) in an organization where there are seldom second chances (i.e. if you screw up in a big way, you're out).

• You make a CareerLimitingMove that is widely noticed.

• You are asked if you would be interested in moving to another office, and you say "No".

• Your status reports used to be due monthly; now your boss would like to see them weekly (or daily) (or every hour).

Signs sacking is imminent:

• Your cardkey, email, passwords, etc. don't work.

• Your boss does not laugh at your jokes anymore.

• Your boss begins a sentence with "as DonaldTrump? says on TV..."

• As soon as you enter the office everyone stops talking and gets back to their desks.

• You ask the guy you used to talk baseball to every day at the water cooler if he watched the baseball game the night before. He answers that he doesn't like baseball anymore!

• The lady in charge of organizing the Christmas party does not ask you to chip in with a few bucks (no wonder; she knows you won't be there at Christmas!).
  • Or, she gives you the Xmas donations.

• You've heard everyone is to be made redundant. But everyone else is to be rehired immediately afterwards!

• The credits are done in a completely different style and at the last minute. Ha! Good one.