Many people are paying close attention to signs that they may be next up for a layoff. Job shedding has accelerated since the start of the year, and mass layoffs in September were the highest they’ve been since 9/11.
So here’s one sign to watch out for: the boss’s cold shoulder. The Wall Street Journal reports that managers who have become unhappy with an employee’s performance, or who fear having to break bad news, may begin pulling away—shunning meetings, conversation, invitations, and the like.
Apparently some bosses use cold-shoulder subtlety to give feedback. An example from the story:
Bob Miglani, senior director of external medical affairs for Pfizer Inc., says he has purposely made employees that reported to him feel left out of the loop, by not inviting them to meetings or waiting a long time to answer their emails. He has also declined their meeting requests even if he’s able to make the meeting so that the employee will see that he didn’t want to attend.
“The whole point is to spur them to ask you what’s wrong and take charge,” says Mr. Miglani, who says some employees he’s managed are too sensitive to handle frank feedback, so he resorted to the subtle cues.
stephenviscusi