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It's the holidays and many people are feeling cheerful, but if you're feeling Grinch-like instead this one's for you:
If you've been around for a while, the time will eventually come when a company you work for is in unfortunate shape and will need to "downsize." Having witnessed this at a client of mine this week, I've noticed a pattern and a few warning signs you may find useful...
Here are several warning signs you're about to be laid-off. If you've noticed more than perhaps one of these, your Spidey-Sense should be tingling—it's time to start polishing that resume/CV!
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I. Backups
"Have you backed-up all your work to XYZ?"
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II. Training
"Please train your co-worker on X, we need everyone up to speed on these components."
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III. Important Project or Person MIA
Just like the old Christmas movie, It's a Wonderful Life, where the very existence of the main character is erased from history, a similar fate will happen to $BIG_PROJECT or important people.
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IV. Mandatory Meeting
Subject: Moving Forward in $YEAR+1Content-free meeting invitations or email focused on date periods, especially late-in the year (a nod to tax purposes). "Let's discuss our plan for 2016." **gulp**
That's my list for now, please chime in with any others you can think of.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by bzipitidoo on Wednesday December 23 2015, @05:08PM
"Unfortunate shape" doesn't just happen either. There are reasons for it. An alert, perceptive employee or job candidate can see some of it well before the desperation becomes overt. In a small company, if they can't even properly describe their product (it does everything for everyone!), if top management returns from a convention to announce that everyone thought the product or service was fantastic, but there were no sales, these are signs things are far from rosy. Are they lying? Being way too optimistic, throwing out fantasies about how sales are really going to take off soon, and then we'll all be millionaires? Dwelling on the part about how thrilling it will be to have lots of money rolling in? I've seen people lose their good sense dreaming about that. Trivializing or ignoring serious problems, indulging in hand waving. Did they predict some big contract would be signed, and for the next 3 months you hear that it's still being negotiated, just a few more issues to resolve, and then you never hear about it again? They can brush off problems while the cash reserve lasts, but when it runs out, it gets ugly. It's not an easy call. It may be a good idea to hang around so you can eventually collect unemployment, if you are an employee and not a contractor. And there's always the chance that the elusive corner will finally be turned, but don't count on that! But usually it's better to get out. One of the last moves they will make is to announce that they can't meet payroll anymore, and everyone just worked a month for them for free, thank you! Then, they may have the brazenness to ask you to please keep working for them for free, just a little more work and we can turn things around. I told the boss I'd be happy to work for him for free, if only he could persuade my landlord to let me live in an apartment for free, and the grocery to let me have free food, etc.
Shouldn't wait for problems to become obvious before thinking over what you will do about it. One thing to do, always, is build up some savings. When you are being paid more than, say, $50K/year, that's the time to set aside a little. More pay = save more. Save when times are good. So even if you miss the signs, you won't be completely unprepared. When I was single, and had a job that paid $80K/year, I spent $10K/year on rent (California, sigh), and another $10K on food, gas, an Internet connection, small necessities, and a bit of entertainment. I have always been careful not to spend lots of money, so I did not have credit cards to pay down or student loans. And so I was able to save the rest of my earnings. Fortunately, my used car did not break down on me, didn't cost me a bundle to keep repaired. I didn't bother buying a bed, I slept on the floor with the help of an air mattress. Less furniture to dispose of when the job ends and you must move on, as it did after only 15 months. And, being young, was no problem at all to get down to and up from the floor. I could have done better yet. Lugged around a fold-up bookshelf and a bunch of old textbooks that I looked at maybe once or twice. Better to have e-books. The desktop computer, especially the old CRT monitor, was another space killer. So glad CRTs are museum pieces now, just wish it had happened a little sooner.
But I understand how hard saving a little can be to do. What do you do when the family wants to spend more than every last penny you make? When you have student loans, a house payment or rent, and a car note? Your credit cards are maxed out? That's late to be thinking about such problems. The thing is not to get deep in debt in the first place. Always amazes me that people who can't have the reality of wealth can't stand it and still spend all the discretionary income on frivolity, to look wealthy. Won't live in a perfectly adequate but humble house, don't want to be seen in the little econobox car, no they want the mansion and the luxury car.