Lifehacker pointed to a list of the 20 signs that a pink-slip could be coming your way found at the Wise Bread blog.
I enjoyed reading through the list and found the following signs most interesting:
#7 – Do you now have less responsibility than the intern? – I’ve worked at a few places where the intern did a lot but others where all she did was answers phones.
#8 – Has your office, cubicle or working space recently been down-sized? – To this I’d add, “Has your work space been moved to an entirely different wing of the building, as far away as possible from the management team?” If so, it may tell you how much they value your department or team.
#9 – Do people whisper more, or does the conversation change as you approach? If your only interaction with management is behind close doors, you might want to polish your resume.
#15 – Are you finding it almost impossible to get approval or ‘buy in’ on projects? Or does your manager reject your projects because they interfere with other projects?
#16 – Have you recently been asked to work on a “special project?” If you’re interviewing anywhere and your potential boss just came off a “special project”, be very worried.
I’ll add one more to the list.
#21 – Has someone recently been hired to fill a job nobody in the company understands? If you and your coworkers are sitting around a year later wondering what this person’s job is, you’re working for a company that needs direction in hiring.
Nordquist Blog 