5 Signs You Need A New Job Now
75Pay Attention to These Job Warning Signs
5 Warning Signs You May NEED a New Job NOW!
I worked for corporate America a long time. It's not the same place our parents worked. No more 30 years with the same company, a pension and a gold watch upon retirement. Corporate loyalty is a thing of the past. It's every employee for themselves. If you don't keep your eyes open and get too comfortable at the same place, you could find yourself out of work and on the street and have absolutely no idea how it happened. Pay attention to these warning signs. If you notice more than 3 within a year, it's time to get out-and fast.
1.) Your company goes into Chapter 11, gets bought out by a larger company, or both. A temporary Chapter 11 reorganization might not be a problem, but it's not a good sign either. The former Ames Department Stores went into Chapter 11 twice before finally going out of business in 2001. Kmart went into reorganization in 2002 and ended up closing several hundred units (and displacing 34,000 long-term workers) in 2003. If your company is purchased by a larger company, don't breathe a sign of relief just yet. Larger corporations swallowing up the little guys end up cash strapped and need money quickly. Laid off employees and closing units are common methods to raise cash.
2.) Your immediate supervisor leaves the company, gets promoted, demoted or has a coronary and dies. If your boss is looking for greener pastures, it might be wise for you to do the same, Maybe he/she knows something you don't. If your boss catches a demotion (for any reason) it's time to go. Promotional opportunities will be hard to come by. If your boss is promoted (and you're not the next to move into his/her still warm chair), you may want to look around. The new boss will be eager to make some changes and you may be one of them. If your boss dies, send some flowers and take a look through the help wanted section after the funeral.
3.) Your boss becomes ineffective If your boss can't answer your questions without calling their boss first, you may want to look elswhere for employment. He/she is either being micro-managed from above or just living in fear of their own career being derailed. My last boss was a classic example of this. If you asked him how the weather was, he'd call his boss to find the correct answer. There's no way you can respect this boss. Either find a new boss-or take his job. Apparently, they can't handle it.
4.) Rumors are running rampant When rumors are running rampant throughout your department or company, they're usually true. Pay careful attention to gossip concerning pending layoffs, plant or unit closings and personel changes. Pay attention to outside vendors or private contractors (who may not be getting paid on time) and are usually the first sign of trouble. Don't wait for gossip or rumors to become fact. Update your resume, begin your job search, save as much money as you can or maybe start that business you've been talking about for years.
5.) Negativity Becomes a Disease At Your Company Negativity will implode a department and eventually a company. If excess negativity is flowing through your company (like water through a garden hose) it's time to leave before you fall victim to its poison. Negativity rolls from the top on down. If you're way down on the totem poll, it's time to go. There is no saving it. Negativity on the job will affect your personal life as well. Get out and get out quickly.
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Comments
Thanks, Chris A. I agree. There's nothing like working for yourself. Thanks for the comment.
Uhm...is your profile pic what you've become afer turning your back to the corporate jungle? Hahaha so what have you chosen to become instead?
ha ha! I just happened to like that pic. I change mine every few days or so anyway:)
This is great, and so accurate. I left a job at a major retail bank at the end of October--ALL of these signs were present, and within two weeks after I quit they were bought up by another bank in a deal brokered by the Fed with part of that $700 billion in bailout money. All signs point to corporate HQ (where I used to work) closing down by January.
Before that, I was with a major insurance company in their corporate call center for five years. It was the best money I ever made, but it also made me physically ill. I gained 20 pounds and my blood pressure spiked to 200/100 by the fourth year. We were reprimanded if our pee time averaged over 3 minutes per day, and believe me, they enforced this. Mine was 3 min 7 sec one month and I was written up.
They had a "two year up or out" policy--meaning, they wanted to turn over employees in two years if they didn't get promoted. However, there were very few positions available to be promoted to, and the ones that did exist were worse than the job I had. We were located in a low-employment part of the country, so people tried desperately to hang on to their jobs past the two year mark and were miserable every minute. I worked with lots of highly trained people with advance degrees who couldn't get work anywhere else.
After seven years working these kinds of corporate jobs, I'll NEVER do it again, never. Since leaving the bank, I've lost the weight I gained, got my blood pressure down to normal, and now I do freelance writing and independent contract merchandising. Not glamorous, but I get paid enough, I get lots of exercise, I'm living indoors, and I don't want to shoot myself every morning.
I hope some of these companies fail. Seriously, they deserve to fail.They just use people like Kleenex, get a year or two out of them, toss them away, "Next!"
Awesome hub. Thanks.
LOL This couldn't be truer. Something has to change in Corporate America. `
Thanks for this Hub.
Hi pgrubdy. Awesome hub? Awesome reply. Thanks. I'm glad you got away from the corporate game. Eveything you say is 100% accurate. The "Pee time" rule (although I laughed) doesn't surprise me a bit.
There's nothing quite like working for yourself is there? I miss the money, the paid benefits and the paid time off, but you summed up my feelings with just one sentence.
"I don't want to shoot myself every morning"
I feel exactly the same.
Hi jean toomer! Thanks for stopping by. I don't see a change for the way things are run in corporate America. It's pretty different from the days when the average employee would work for a company for 30 years and retire with a gold watch and a pension
Great hub - rockin'joe - the signs are always there if you are observant enough and savvy enough to recoqnise for them - then act on them quickly - don't hang around for "the worse to come" scenario!! cheers
Thanks, ajcor. Unfortunately, I didn't recognize the signs last time and me and 3,000 others lost our jobs. I vowed to never again be part of the corporate rat race again-unless it was my own, of course.
Excellent hub! I worked in Human Resources for a manufacturing plant and layoffs were regular, needless to say employee moral was crap. All those signs you mention are true. You are incredibly right about today's corporate not being similar to who our parents worked for. I am a stay-at-home currently and in the early stages of starting a business with another mom. I won't work in a corporate atmosphere again- I like to be in charge of my destiny and paycheck.
Thanks izetti. I appreciate your comment. HR is no easy task to begin with, so I cannot imagine doing it in a place where layoffs were common. Congratulations on your decision to quit the rat race. I've been at it since December of 06' and as scary as it is, I don't think I could go back to a regular job.
Great tips. For me the major sign would be if my employer stopped paying me but still expected me to show up for work. When the Sedu Camp went out of business up in Running Springs, California the company was so bankrupt that it had not paid their employees for the last few weeks before closing. Maybe it is just me, but I would not be working for free.
Hi Joe,
I am currently home recuperating from surgery. I spoke with a coworker and found out the latest goings on. Corporate has decided that this year they will no longer give out achievement awards. In addition, anyone who was entitled to an extra week's vacation at either the 5, 10 or 25 yr mark will no longer get it. I currently have 4 weeks vacation which means I will never see 5 weeks, that's if I still work there at that point. And the best part, no raise this year. This will actually be the 2nd time they withheld raises. Also, I think but am not sure, there may be no pension either.
At this stage, I need to leave, but it's a catch-22. I am approaching retirement age, which is scary enough, and if I want maximum SS benefits (if they even exist when I'm ready to retire) I have to work till I'm 70. Even at the maximum, it wouldn't cover my monthly expenses.
The only plus is the fact that I do have benefits and a job. Even the cost of benefits went up. I haven't done a full blown search of the job market as of yet, but that's going to change as quickly as possible.
Since hearing this news, I questioned why even bother with a review of performance? What is the incentive to go above and beyond? Bottom line, a job and benefits, such as they are.
Good hub! Thanks for sharing.
Hi SweetiePie. I agree. Working for free is definitely not on my list of things to do. The only time I've done it in the past (and will probably continue to do so) is when I do stand up for a new club. They usually require an audition. If I were working for a small company that was having a problem and I knew the boss well, I might consider working for 1 or two weeks without money while the problem cleared up. That would depend a lot on the company and the integrity of the owner. Thanks for bringing up that point and your situation. I always appreciate your comments.
Hi there, Trish. How're you feeling? You bring up some excellent points. I've been employed at 2 major companies with simillar vacation benefits as you mentioned. That's too bad that you're working for something you (and your co-workers) won't be getting after it was promised to you as a perk of your employment.
I would definitely be grateful, however to have the benefits and a steady paycheck. It's scary paying health care on your own. Hang in there and don't let them get you down.Thanks for the comment. I appreciate it.
Hi Joe,
Yes, that's the bottom line, a job with benefits. I live in NJ, and the cost of living here is pretty much astronomical. Don't have numbers, but the stats about the cost of things here are very high. I'm sure if I moved to another state it might be a bit easier, but I was born and raised here and I doubt I could convince my grown kids to move, but who knows?
At this point I just keep putting one foot in front of the other and hope and pray for the best.
Cris A says:
12 months ago
Yes, I saw all of these signs and so now I'm an online junkie - no bosses, no corporate rumors only bigtime positivity from hubbing! Great hub! :D