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Signs that You Are About to be Fired

Signs that You Are About to be Fired September 30, 20079 to 5 Culture0 Comments

As much as you may hate your job, you still need to make a living. As much as you are working to escape the office you still have bills to pay. So, how can you gauge how stable your job is? Perhaps you have this gut feeling that you may be fired soon. Or maybe, you’re just worrying excessively because you just bought yourself an LCD TV that you can not possibly afford and you charged it on your credit card. Whatever the reason, there are some surefire ways to tell that a pink slip is on its way.

Mark a point for each of the following statements that applies to your situation:

Your boss is acting more distantly toward you
You were put on probation and/or are monitored more heavily
Your co-workers have distanced themselves from you
You are suddenly assigned far fewer tasks
You are encouraged to take a vacation and/or time off in the near future
Other people are assigned work that you normally handle
People in the lunch/break room avoid eye contact with you

Score Interpretations

0-2 You are probably still safe. Perhaps people were not entirely happy with your most recent work or something you said, but this should be a passing phase and you can redeem yourself (if you wish) in no time.

3-4 You are treading on rocky ground and may want to look for other work. You can save your job, but you may have to swallow your pride and stoop to a new low by speaking with your boss about ways you can improve your work or performance. This may show them that you do care about your job (even if you don’t) and that you’re willing to work on whatever they feel is lacking (which may be nothing, but boosting their ego may get them off your back.)

5-7 Things look pretty grim. On one hand you’ll be free from the constraints of the office environment, but on the other hand, you may desperately have to settle for a job that may be far worse. You really should start looking for other work NOW – if not because you will soon be unemployed, than because you are currently working in a very uncomfortable environment and you deserve better. Assess your financial situation and start talking to friends or good acquaintances about possible job openings. Send out your resume and see what prospects you have.