by Stephen H

Created on: August 27, 2006   Last Updated: November 01, 2010

It's very rare that someone is fired out of the blue, even when the business is doing badly and there is a desire to cut costs, the staff will know that this is going on.  Often it is not inevitable that when things are going bad for you at work that you will be fired. If you look out for the signs, there is a good chance that you can recognize when you are in danger of losing your job and you can take the opportunity to change how you are perceived and address the problem before it gets that far.  If you leave it too late and are involved in a formal process of performance improvement, it is a lot harder to deal with the situation positively.  You will be demotivated and the business will already have a formed a view of your contribution to business. The ten critical signs to look out for are:

1)   You are no longer consulted on future plans or are not invited to important meetings in which you should have been a key contributor.  If people are forming the view that you are not going to be in your position for the long term, you may get sidelined.  It's a difficult position to deal with as you will not necessarily know what is happening and how you can contribute to try and redeem the situation.  My suggestion would be to arrange a meeting with you line manager and candidly discuss the situation.  Tell them that you are feeling sidelined and ask for support in identifying the problem.  This should lead to an open discussion about any problems that need to be addressed. It is just possible that there is another explanation, and hearing this might help put your mind at rest.

2)   People are no longer coming to you for advice but are going straight to your line manager instead.  Being by-passed in this way is often a sign that your line manager has instructed people to go direct.  This is likely to occur when there has been a loss of confidence in you. If you notice this happening, talk to your boss, or if that is not possible, network with your colleagues and probe them to find out why they are going over your head.  You may be able to win back their confidence.

3)   An irritability from your line manager when dealing with you. Y ou may begin to notice that your manager gets quite annoyed with you quite quickly, and the reason may not be obvious or apparent.  It could be a sign that the boss is suffering stress, but it might be that you are the cause of it. 

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