Signs That You May Be Fired From Work Or Made Redundant

You have been fired! That’s a terrible piece of information you don’t want to receive. It is great news to get a job but an even greater reward to keep your job. Job security is paramount regardless of your position in the workplace. You need to know that you are not in danger of either being fired or made redundant at your employer’s whim or because of a genuine reason.

Understanding key clues that point to the possibility of being fired or made redundant will help you focus on giving an optimum performance at the workplace and ensuring that you don’t get served the pink slip soon. It could also help you start planning early for an alternative job.

Are you scared of losing your job? Can you tell whether you are next in line to be kicked out of the workplace? Do you have a plan B if you are suddenly out of work? Keep reading to find out key signs that you might just about be fired or made redundant in your workplace.

Dismissal and Redundancy: A Highlight

You have been fired from your job when your employment contract is terminated by your employer. It can also be called a dismissal. Termination may be voluntary on the employee’s part, or it may be at the hands of the employer, often in the form of dismissal or a layoff.

You could get fired for slacking in your assigned roles, fraud or embezzlement, a sexual harassment claim, or bullying a coworker.

Redundancy refers to a situation when employers have to let go of their employees due to circumstances unrelated to job performance or behaviour. It can happen due to economic recession, lack of funding for the business, or the employer’s need to relocate the business to another area.

You may get fired: Signs employees should look out for in the workplace

You have no idea what to look out for as clues to whether your employer is seeking to terminate your employment. Don’t worry! Here are some tell-tale signs that you are probably going to get axed from the workplace.

Repeated critical performance review

You might start getting worried if your employer is giving you negative feedback about your job performance, repeatedly. A performance review signifies an assessment of your job, behaviour, and attitude as a whole. It shows whether you fit into the overall company objectives. Continuous poor performance reviews could show deep dissatisfaction with your task and a need to get you replaced with a better alternative. If you are always getting warned by your manager about your performance, then you should gear up for the worse.

Impossible assignments at work

If you suddenly discover you are being delegated to handle the difficult, bound-to-fail tasks at work, then you should start thinking about dusting your resume. It gets worse if you don’t receive adequate support from your coworkers and the instructions are complicated, making it impossible to accomplish. This could mean your employer is setting you up for failure and can’t wait to show you the door.

Sudden alienation or exclusion from key duties.

You should be concerned if you notice your boss is alienating you from issues and duties that you were included in before. This could highlight a decline in the level of trust he has in your competence and an attempt to replace you. If you discover you spend a chunk of the work time buying coffee rather than your previous core duties, it’s time to get scared.

Demotion

A demotion at work could be a polite way of telling you that you are close to being fired. Moving into a lesser position could make you feel disillusioned at work and decrease your enthusiasm for your job, giving your employer the perfect excuse to kick you out.

Merger and Acquisitions

A merger usually results in staff reduction as workers with overlapping job descriptions will have to be laid off to fit the new company. Mergers combine two separate businesses into a single new legal entity. Unlike mergers, acquisitions do not result in the formation of a new company. Whether it is a merger or acquisition, there is a possibility of losing your job, especially if there is a need to cut down costs. This can lead to a case of redundancy and you end up unemployed.

Minimal or no feedback from management

This could be an important indicator that you may likely lose your job, sooner or later. If your boss is suddenly giving you little or no feedback, it could be a sign that they are tired of having you around and looking for an opportunity to fire you. This is especially true if you are the only one who your boss suddenly doesn’t care about.

Introduction of machines

While this may boost production, it can also be a potential sign of redundancy. When machines replace your duties at the workplace, there will be no need for you. This is also the case in situations where your job title ceases to exist and you have no choice but to leave.

Understanding the workplace: How to stay ahead of being fired.

Getting fired from work is not a joke and you should plan on how to keep your job and ensure you don’t have a surprise termination spring on you. Below are some tips to help you improve your performance at work and avoid being a victim.

• Be highly professional at work. Show impeccable work ethic and conduct yourself in a manner that enhances your efficiency. Remember you are employed for specific reasons, do them.
• Be innovative at your job. Do not be satisfied with an average performance. Always seek to learn more about skills that will stay relevant. This is especially helpful in cases of mergers or acquisitions.
• Always be ready to support and help coworkers. Avoid bullying or harassing any of your colleagues. Be dependent, courteous, and kind.
• Volunteer to do more in the workplace. It highlights you as responsible and hardworking. However, be careful not to take on more than you can handle to avoid underperforming.
• Position yourself as an invaluable resource to the company. Strive to align yourself with the mission of the company. Pay attention to the opinion of top management on the performance management process.
• Don’t be lazy, take your job seriously and perform your task optimally. Don’t break the rules in the employee handbook or attempt to steal from the company.

Wrapping up

Knowing you might just get fired from your job can be heartbreaking. However, understanding what to look out for before such a sad incident can change your attitude toward how you handle a job termination or redundancy. Being assigned impossible tasks, an impending company merger, poor job performance and repeated warnings from your manager are signs that could warn you about an impending termination.

While you are excited about the potential in your job, strive to have a positive attitude to work and constantly be innovative in your assigned tasks to stay ahead and become invaluable to the company. Knowing these doom signs keeps you motivated to be the best at work and earn your place in the company.

Do you want to know more about redundancy and what you can do if you believe that you have been unfairly dismissed at work? Talk to us today at 1300 766 700 for a free consultation. We will hold your hands and guide you to make the best decisions for such eventualities.