In these times of a stumbling economy, many companies are whittling down their workforce. Workers are fearful that their jobs will be the next to be eliminated. Uncertainty stems from fear and productivity begins to decline. Job security of the pre 1990's no longer exists, and workers are feeling the strain of not knowing from day to day if they have a job.

After being laid off from her previous job, Rhynie chose to go back to college and earn her degree. She didn't work while she was in school, preferring to concentrate on her studies and graduate with a high GPA. Four years later and three months after graduation, Rhynie was hired as a bookkeeper for a jewelry store. She was also responsible for doing the payroll for the store's seven employees. She had not performed this type of work and the pay was lower than she expected, but she had the education and learned the job basics in a timely manner. She was enthusiastic and was just beginning to feel comfortable in her new job when she was told that her position was being eliminated. She had been employed at the company for 37 days.

She was assured by the owner of the store that her work performance wasn't the reason that she was being terminated. He said that she was doing very well in her job, but he had hired a sales person that could sell jewelry and could also perform the bookkeeping and payroll functions that he had hired her to do. He further explained that he couldn't afford to keep both of them on the payroll so she was the one that had been chosen to be terminated. Since Rhynie lives in an at-will work state, she has no recourse, and she wasn't employed long enough to collect unemployment benefits.

Rhynie was happily humming along in her job when she received the devastating news. She had no indication that anything was wrong, or that she was going to be let go. Her superior explained that her working effectiveness was within the company standards and expectations.

Thinking back, Rhynie realized that the signs that her job was in danger were there; since she had no reason to believe that she wasn't doing her job to or above the expectations of her employer, she didn't notice the subtle change in atmosphere, or the signs that something was amiss.

Here are ten indications that your job is on the chopping block:

• Your boss stops talking about future assignments and projects
• Things that are normally your duties your superior begins shrugging off
• There is a change in attitude toward you from your boss and co-workers
• Others in the company are cool toward you
• Conversation stops when you walk by or enter the room
• Your work is being assigned to someone else
• Your boss or a co-worker has taken over some of the tasks that you normally do
• Your boss dismisses your tasks that were formerly important to him
• Co-workers won't look you in the eye, and avoid talking to you unless it's absolutely necessary
• You aren't encouraged to make your workspace comfortable and attractive

For Rhynie, the ramifications of being terminated were a low self-image and a doubt about her own abilities to hold onto a job. Even though her boss explained the reason for the cutback, he made her last day the day he informed her of the cut which was in the middle of the week, and he didn't let her finish out the work day. She left with some negative feelings toward her former boss. He indicated to her that he had known for two weeks that he was going to let her go, but he willfully neglected to give her any notice so that she could look for a new position. To make matters worse, she had known her boss for a number of years prior to being hired at his company, and she took her layoff personally.

Some employers give blatant indications that jobs are going to be cut; others give subtle signals. By knowing the signs that your job is in jeopardy, you can avoid being surprised with an unexpected termination notice. These ten signs are not inclusive, but they are the most evident warning that something is about to happen.

© Copyright 2008 Patti McMann. All Rights Reserved.