Today’s modern Work Environment might be more comfortable, automated & supposedly less intense than the unregulated labor days of old, but are by no mean less stressful. With the job market getting more competitive, the scale of the competition taking a more global nature where your no longer competing with just the Alumni in your class but the Alumni of the World. With this new.
Taking all that into consideration & given time we all get occasionally & momentarily concerned about our Job security & the other times when most of the changes occurring around you are anything but assuring, like when your know longer invited to important meetings or talks spreading about the company going down under.
With all what we just mentioned and the meticulous job of Navigating in Office politics, it’s getting harder to know what to do to stand out and what not to Do to avoid going home with a cardboard box filled with what you cleared off belonging from your desk. Today we will be talking about the top 10 must-know indicators that your career may be at risk & how to work through these red flags.
- The Warning signs:
1. Your no Longer Invited to important meetings or part of the loop
According to Lynn Taylor, the national workplace expert in a Forbes article, he stated that Employers generally have a sense when employers are at risk.
Since we were young we were taught by those around us that being excluded form important events such as a birthday party at your schoolmate or sleep out at one of your friends home is that they don’t want to include you in their interactions.
Of course, the relationship between professional individuals in a workplace differ in many aspects than that of children but the act of being excluded from important meetings and get-togethers still sends the same message, more or less.
Another way you could identify if you’re being cut out of the important conversation is if you mailbox suddenly becomes more manageable.
It may sound as somewhat of a conspiracy theory but as per Brian Satterfield comment in the Life Hack article about ways to tell if your job is at risk that although a drop in emails received might simply mean that there’s a communication or mail overload issue it’s equally possible that the communications you once handled are being handed to someone else.
2. Fewer responsibilities & Projects are being handed to you
Another classic sign of your stay on borrowed time is the decrease in responsibilities on yourself. Companies are usually very discrete and not all information is shared across the board.
And what we mean here is not the usual ups and downs, highs & lows of any business but as David Parnell so eloquently put it in the Forbes article about businesses not give anyone they want to let go extra projects as by this they are risking either Public spite or a possible disclose breach
The other approach when it comes to this would be to swamp you in tons of work which in turn causes a decrease in productivity facilitating your departure from the Company. Lynn Taylor in his comments on the Business Insider Article, that its similar to sending a blind person to climb Mount Everest.
In the same Article, Kerr gives the benefit of the doubt and state it could either be a mishap or lousy leadership or there inability to ask someone’s arrival and the solid evidence needed.
3. A sudden change in the relationship between you and your Boss
One of the other most alarming signs of a possible pink slip and signs your job may be at risk is the change in the dynamics & relationship between you and your manager.
This case of wheres Aldo that sets in in that period is determining your ability to be heard and the healthy relationship you once had with that manager.
4. Poor or Negative Feedback & Reviews
Poor Feedback or Reviews on your work could be the very end of your stay with your colleagues & the firm in General. The feedback from your superior an also great as another indicator of a blackout until it comes to that offer.
Both Khan & and Taylor agree about the detrimental effects of a bad review in their Forbes article. Another reason is that that is a glaring proof of the personal passiveness
5. Ongoing Financial Troubles
Any company whether as mighty as Apple or s simple at-home starter is subject to have a temporary financial crisis as with the normal highs and lows of the market.
Parnell considers the as soon as you hear that a company is going through a crisis, that would be the ideal time to start drafting you CV just in case.
6. Your Mistakes or slacking off goes unnoticed
Remember that tale that we have been told since we were young about the boy that said there where wolves but they were never there until a sheep got taken by a wolf but no one believed him. The similarities between the two example are that in both cases your mistakes are held against you more than ever.
According to Taylor, a lack of care about the mistakes or for slacking as a behavioral element nothing more nothing less but to be fully sure you need to follow the breadcrumbs and trials.
7. A recent Hiring of someone that matches your skill set
This is one of the worst ways you could know that you are being replaced, yet its one of the most straightforward ones, in some cases you might be the person that showing him the ropes without comprehending that it’s his place has taken.
Develop your professional skill set with our: MBA Degree Options
8. A Paper Trail is being formed
What we mean here is that there’s a sudden urge to record each transaction and everything has to be documented and written in Official form.
As Per Abelles advice in the Forbes Article, the key is to keep calm, cool ad collective while taking a step back and search for an exit strategy.
9. Your starting to become invisible
Continuing on the same theme of mistakes going unnoticed part we move on to another similar symptom of job loss. By going Invisible here we don’t mean transferring int the next Casper.
What we mean here by Invisibility is the sudden feeling that your existence in work holds no importance, your correspondences remain unaddressed.
One great example of what we mean is that given by Taylor Lynn, the example of the person who spent months finalizing a business plan but once the plan was concluded no one cared for it if anything it might have been ignored or disregarded.
10. Getting asked questions for no apparent reason
If you find that you are getting really specific questions from either your manager, company or firm consultant or from your colleagues with the expectation of getting detailed answers it might be time to freshen up your resume. This does not necessarily mean that you gonna be packing any cardboard boxes soon, and here we can quote Lynn Taylor as he Stated in His Forbes Article:
“It appears outwardly that they’re interested in your work, but you feel differently in your gut. They may be deciding exactly how to replace your role”.
- How to Avoid them?
So since you are now aware of the most common signs that your career is in Danger, its time to talk solutions and lucky for you, we have a couple of tricks up our sleeves.
- 1- Display your Success
show your work and display it with pride as its possible that some key managers in the matrix are unaware of It. Sure you might catch your direct manager in the wrong way but if you have nothing to lode we say go for it.
- 2- Control your emotions
The control and discipline of your emotions are not just essential to prevent you from losing your job but you also need it to navigate the ebb & flow of the business world for a successful career.
- 3- Deliver Stellar output
This night is one of the best nuggets of career advice you can receive, Deliver stellar outputs and exceed their expectations. This will not only solidify your name within your company, but it also keeps your performance reviews looking good.
- 4- Engage your boss with his special Projects
Instead of just focusing on your tasks, why not check up on your managers Plump or any other project hes passionate about. Once your boss sees that part of you agenda is empowering his, you guys are bound to click.
- 5- Being visible & Visibly Helpful
Despite the common belief that staying under the Radar is the best way to avoid getting a pink slip, it’s as far from the truth as possible. Assume a Positive role whether in the form of gathering relevant articles and sending it to your managers in an initiative to increase your team’s happiness and productivity for example.
- 6- Hang out more, Network & Socialize
Hang out more at your work, i know it sounds pretty ineffective but it’s in these moments that you can either have a deep meaningful conversation with a team member or gain more insight into how your manager thinks and takes his decision.
In conclusion, these are some of the most common signs that your job might be at risk & how to avoid them. With all the stress, the volume of responsibilities and the hard to attain a Life work balance is becoming harder and harder, the key is to stay calm, concentrated, motivated and never stop developing yourself and Networking & you should be fine.
Related Articles: