9 Obvious Signs That You Are About To Lose Your Job

By Lilian Wamaitha
Apply for a job, get an interview, get an offer and you would think that it’s finally time to settle down and grow in your career.
But that is not how life works most of the time, is it?
Sometimes things happen and we end up losing that job. Whether it is the company not doing well and you find yourself in the list of those getting laid off, your boss wanting to hire someone else or them getting fed up with constantly following you and finally decide to let you go,
Whatever the case, it is always good to be prepared no matter what.
In a world of retrenchments and lay-offs, job security is not guaranteed and as such you need to read the signs that you might be shown the door anytime.
That said, let me indulge you in a few ways that you can tell that you are about to lose your job.
1. Your responsibilities are being given to someone else
Work is stressful and we all have our duties to conduct.
However, if suddenly you find that you are sharing some of your responsibilities with another colleague, it may be a sure sign that you are about to lose the job and should start looking elsewhere.
2. When all your colleagues seem to avoid you
You know that feeling you get when someone is trying to avoid you?
Yes, that gathering at lunch time that has suddenly disappeared and there is a strange mood in the office. This is a sign that a job loss if lurking in the air.
Your colleagues know that you may be fired and out of respect don’t want to tell you.
3. You are no longer being copied in emails
When all of a sudden you don’t get emails about important things related to your job or the workplace, and you have to hear it from someone else, this is a sign that your time in the company is long overdue.
4. There is a change in budget
If all of a sudden you are hearing about budget changes, brace yourself because it may be a sign that the company will lay off some people.
In situations like these, you may be the best at your job but any position can be rendered redundant anytime.
5. When your boss is constantly checking up on you
Does your boss all of a sudden seem to micromanage everything you do?
Are they following up on some project even when you don’t answer directly to them?
This is a sign that there has been communication about your performance and your boss may be thinking about doing away with you.
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6. Or they suddenly just don’t care
When your boss is no longer concerned with your work and doesn’t seem to notice that you exist, it is a sign that you need to start applying for jobs elsewhere.
It is bad enough to have a boss who is a micro manager but when that stops, you need to start getting concerned.
7. There is a lot of negative feedback
Are you always feeling like you can never do anything right?
No matter what you do, to your boss or supervisor, it is never good enough?
If you get more negative feedback than positive one, the company will soon get tired of you.
If this happens, try to amend the situation by seeking feedback on what you are doing wrong. If it doesn’t help, you can consider a move to another company or a career change all together.
8. When you are not being included in some major projects
Is there a project that you thought you would have handled but then you got left out?
This is one of the sure signs that something is up and it’s time for a new job.
9. They are already interviewing other people
This is just straight up cold hearted but sometimes it’s necessary if an employer doesn’t want to leave a position open.
I post jobs for so many companies where they indicate that they don’t want their name to be mentioned in the advertisement because the person being replaced is still working there.
This happens and at times you may never know until it’s too late.
But before a company thinks of firing you, you will have seen all these other signs and it’s up to you to do something about it.
If it were up to us, we would want to hold on to the same position all our lives. However, in a competitive and uncertain job market, there will be retrenchments and people being fired. You need to read the signs and prepare for your exit before you are shown the door.
Lilian is a Communication Officer at Career Point Kenya. Got any career related queries? Email them to lilian@www.careerpointkenya.co.ke or just leave a comment below.