Signs That Indicate You Could Be Laid Off or Fired
Being fired or laid off without any warning can be a stressful problem.
Half of Americans do not have enough money saved to pay more than three months of bills, so a loss of a job can be a devastating blow to a one's finances.
There may be a way to predict whether you are on the road to a possible layoff or firing -- you just have to pay attention to the signs.
Reasons You May be Fired and How to Prevent It
Regular tardiness
Arriving late to work regularly is never a good thing and constant tardiness will annoy your employer.
This is a no-brainer, but you should try your best to be on time, which means waking up earlier, preparing your work belongings the night before and preparing your lunch ahead of time.
Improper conduct
Work environments are more preferable when everyone feels comfortable around one another.
Conducting yourself in a manner that disrupts the work environment can lead to an overall dislike for you in the office.
Treat your colleagues with respect, and they should do the same.
Refer to your company policy when it comes to how to conduct yourself properly.
Speak with a human resources representative about any concerns you may have.
It's always best to handle arguments or disagreements in a professional manner.
You Train Someone for Your Position
Believe it or not, some companies make their employees train a new hire in an attempt to get rid of employees they will eventually fire.
Training a new employee while the company is going through budget cuts may be a big sign that you are going to be let go.
Have a meeting with your boss and ask about your performance and your future within the company.
Consider giving suggestions for how you can increase your value, and ways you can help improve the company.
It's best to tackle this situation head on.
You Regularly Make Mistakes
Constantly find yourself committing major errors that jeopardize the company?
Regularly making big mistakes can greatly hinder your credibility.
Double check everything you do, or have a fellow employee take a quick glance at your work before you submit it.
If you are unsure of something, be sure to ask first.
Meetings Are Held Without You
Don't panic if you were never part of meetings before.
It's probably a red flag if your presence is no longer needed at meetings you were previously a part of.
Spark up conversation with your colleagues and superiors regarding current or future projects.
If you do feel like you can be of help, casually bring up your ideas.
A superior may like your suggestions and invite you in on the next meeting so that everyone can hear your input.
Signs that Indicate You May be Laid Off
When it comes to losing your job, a layoff is a completely different situation than getting fired. The company's situation as a whole may be the reason your position is in jeopardy.
Lookout for these signs that indicate your company may be forced to lay you off due to budgeting concerns:
- Company earnings are decreasing or low in general
- Your boss starts laying off your coworkers or people in another department
- Clients start taking their business elsewhere
- You notice your boss in a lot of closed-doors meetings
- Less tasks are provided for you to complete
- You're asked to take a leave of absence
- Your days and hours are cut
- Managers constantly ask about the projects you are working on
- Your bio on the company website it taken down
- Your company is in talks to merge with or be absorbed by another company
Regardless, Remember to Build Your Network
Building your network can prove fruitful in helping you maintain your job, or finding work in the event you lose your current position.
There are two reasons why networking can help your career.
First, establishing good relations with everyone in your office can help give you a solid reputation in general.
Companies prefer keeping individuals who make a work environment comfortable, as opposed to people who bring negative tension to work.
When a company has to make the decision to cut certain individuals, people who are well-liked are taken into account for all of the positive energy they bring to the office.
Being likeable can pay off by helping you keep your job.
Second, networking can land you a job.
In the event you are fired or laid off, a former coworker or boss may be able to help use their networking power to land you another job. You never know who you might meet who can open the next door for you.
Add people to your professional network on LinkedIn, Facebook, and other social media networks you feel will help you stay connected.
Keep in touch and build good relations with everyone you work with.
You never know when a favor from someone in your network can help save your career.
What to Do When You Lose an Income
If you have lost a job, had hours significantly cut, or have reduced earnings for some other reason, you are probably wondering about how to survive until you can bring your income back up.
Here are some methods for cutting costs when your income is slashed.
Analyze Your Bills
The first thing you need to do when your income is drastically reduced is to take a look at all of your bills.
- What can you live without?
- What expenses can help you in the search for additional income or a new job? What can you get rid of to make extra money?
- What is the least amount of money you can live on?
Take an overall and realistic assessment of your income, bills, assets and needs to get a clear picture about your next moves.
Pull the Plug on Subscriptions
Cut the obvious bills first -- the cable or satellite payment, ditch the landline, magazine subscriptions, movie services, and anything else that is strictly for pleasure.
If it isn't a link to a potential source of income, cut it.
You can still find free entertainment online, and you could have a lot more fun enjoying your favorite programs at a friend's house, anyway.
Weigh Your Options
You'll want to keep Internet access for the job search, but you may want to downgrade to a lower speed plan if you're in a high tier plan.
You don't need to slump down to dial-up, and you don't want the added cost of a landline, but you need every extra dollar you can find right now.
You may run into slight delays when streaming movies or videos, but you probably won't notice any difference loading most web pages or email.
Look at your Energy Bills
Start looking at ways you can conserve energy around the home and in your other daily activities to cut your energy bills.
Turn off lights, unplug appliances that drain energy when they aren't in use, and don't leave the TV on when you're not watching.
The refrigerator is one of the biggest drains on energy, so raise the temperature just a bit if possible.
Switch to energy-efficient bulbs and be cautious about raising or lowering the indoor temperature.
Plan your car trips for efficiency and make fewer trips to save on gas in your car.
Brown Bag it
Pack your lunch if you're still working, and make all of your food at home from scratch whether you are working or not.
If you're already doing these things, then it's time to start shopping for more frugal ingredients.
Use some of the extra time you may have by looking for coupons and bargains on thrifty foods, and shop at low-priced stores.
If you're careful and get recipe-savvy, you should still be able to buy healthy ingredients for quality, tasty meals.
Sell it
What do you have sitting around that could be sold for extra income?
Spend some time on eBay researching some of the items you have to see the amount for which they have sold, or if they have sold at all.
Search for an item and then look at the column on the left-hand side.
Find the option to "Search only" and click "Completed listings" to get a feel whether or not your goods are hot property.
Pay attention to the item details to see if certain features garner higher prices or if those items go unsold.
Do the research and try to be realistic about will sell and for what amount.
If you find that certain items do well on eBay, see if you can find them for a much lower price at local thrift stores, but venture cautiously.
It doesn't make sense to invest in goods that won't sell for more than you paid, but many people are able to make very good side income on eBay or Craigslist.
Remain Positive
One of the most important things anyone can do when finances take a turn for the worse is to keep a positive attitude.
If you are focused on improving your situation and keeping a positive attitude, the people you encounter are going to be more receptive to you, and opportunities will come your way.
Be ready to jump on those opportunities with a smile and a can-do attitude and things will turn around much more quickly than when facing life with a grouchy disposition.
