Jim Moore, employment expert at HR consultants Hamilton Nash, told DailyMail.com that these hints are revealed in your boss’s behavior 

The current economic climate has left many people worrying about losing jobs, but an expert has shared four ‘warning signs’ that they are on a path of firing.

Jim Moore, employment expert at HR consultants Hamilton Nash, told DailyMail.com that these hints are revealed in your boss’s behavior.

These signs could be a change in workload, your position in the company and how your superior communicates with you.   

‘It’s worth taking a few precautions to stay one step ahead of the danger,’ said Moore.

‘Keep your resume up-to-date, and keep in contact with contacts in similar roles at different companies. Maintain a close relationship with recruiters so you’ve got a good picture of the job landscape for when you need it.’

Your boss starts emailing, not talking

Most employees enjoy a chat with the boss here and there, but when discussions move to email, Moore said it might be time to worry. 

‘From their point of view, this will all be useful evidence to show they’ve ‘done the right thing’ if it ever comes to an employment tribunal,’ he said.

‘If you notice this happening to you, fight fire with fire and make sure you create your own paper trail.

You suddenly get a lot more work

The current economic climate has left many people worrying about losing jobs, but an expert has shared four ‘warning signs’ that they are on a path of firing

There is a difference between being busy at work and drowning in work. 

If you find your work objectives and targets are being revised, especially if they suddenly shoot up to ‘unrealistic’ levels, it could be a sign you’re being set up to fail.

The key thing to do at this point is to communicate, in writing, with your managers, Moore said.

‘Highlight your concerns and seek clarification in polite and professional written communication,’ he shared.

‘Taking this step could be enough to avoid the matter being taken to the next level.’

Other managers are CC-ed  on emails to you

Seeing several managers within your company added to emails from your boss is also a warning sign. 

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Moore said this can be a sign that management is creating a ‘paper trail’ to eliminate you.

‘Ensure any verbal conversation is followed up with an email to confirm the key points and get it ‘on the record,’ he continued.

‘Don’t be prickly and difficult in your responses – you must ensure your messages are professional and reasonable. 

‘If HR ends up reviewing the documentation, the last thing you want is to be seen as a ‘problem child.’

You get moved to a new part of the company

It could signal that someone is planning for your departure if you’ve moved off an important project, and it’s not immediately obvious why.

‘These are some of the things that can happen if bosses know a redundancy process is on the cards,’ Moore said,

‘Similarly, if co-workers start acting differently, especially managers, this can be a sign that rumblings about possible actions are circulating. This should be a red flag.

‘At your next one-on-one session with your manager, make it clear that you want to be assigned high-value, impactful work.’

‘You’ll soon discover if that discussion leads anywhere. Again, always follow up any verbal conversation with an email to confirm the key points and get it on the record.’

You’re given a performance improvement plan (PIP)

While Performance Improvement Plans are theoretically meant to improve performance, they can also be a sign your bosses want to ‘manage you out.’

Moore said, ‘Appropriately used, a PIP is meant to get you back on track, rather than get you out of the door. But there have been cases where managers have used a PIP in bad faith to push people out.

‘Performance issues at work fall into two categories: capability, which is where staff can’t do something, and disciplinary, which is where they won’t do something. Both can lead to dismissal if there’s no improvement, so you must understand how that improvement will be measured.

‘If faced with a PIP, take the time to clarify what the concern is.

‘Sometimes, it’s just a case of their expectations for your work not aligning with your understanding of the role.

‘Next, don’t be shy to discuss the support you need to meet those expectations. Managers are generally keen to help remove obstacles if you can’t get something done, but there’s little sympathy for people who could, but won’t, perform.’

‘Make sure to keep notes of performance discussions. Even a follow-up email after a verbal confirmation ‘to summarise and confirm the key points’ is sufficient.’