Red Flags At Work

I was talking with a gentleman the other day who had just lost his job.  He said that he went to work one day and all of the employees were told to clear out their desks and to go home.  The business owner had decided to close the doors and file bankruptcy.

This gentleman and his coworkers were stunned.  They said they had no idea that this was coming.  I thought to myself “How could that be?” There had to be some signs?”

The more I talked to this man and asked questions, the more he realized that there were signs “red flags” that the company was doing poorly, but he thought that his employer would have said something to all of them if it were really bad.  He and his coworkers were pretty upset and some were angry.

They felt betrayed by their employer that they worked hard for, and trusted.  They thought that he cared about them, but now they felt that he really must not have since he did not share with them honestly about the poor situation the business they all worked for was in.

Here are a few of the “red flags” that were evident to the employees upon hindsight that the business was in real trouble.

• Apathy, fatigue and confusion in their employer.
• Disagreement between the employer and the manager.
• Recent increase in customer complaints.
• Cut back in employees.
• Lack of communication from the employer.
• Vendors calling about delinquent accounts.

It is too bad that this business owner decided not to let the employees in on the seriousness of the businesses situation, I am sure he had his reasons.  I also am sure that this group of employees will definitely keep their eyes open for any of these types of “red flags” from now on in future jobs.

We do not think about this type of situation happening when we take a job.  It is important to keep your eyes and ears open for signs that the business may be in trouble so that you can protect yourself and family from any shocking surprises.