10 signs your employers are about to close shop

THE fancy coffee machine has been switched out with instant and the receptionist role still hasn't been replaced. Is your company about to go under and you with it?

Does your office seem emptier than usual?

THE fruit box from reception has disappeared and Suzie from accounts resigned three weeks ago but there's no rush to replace her. Is your company about to go under, and you along with it?

People are often caught by surprise when their employer goes belly up, but are there signs the end was near?

Here are some indicators your bosses may be running out of money and you should grab your life jacket and hit the recruitment pages now.

Amenities and perks have disappeared

Where did that fruit box go?

The aforementioned fruit box stopped being delivered, the tissues went from three-ply to two-ply and the annual Christmas party was shifted to a dingy room in a rundown pub with a tiny bar tab.

Stressed and worried bosses

Your bosses have been walking around for months looking like someone shot their puppy. Especially if they start popping into meetings they don't normally attend with "we really need to fire this quarter" speeches. But instead of being inspirational, it's laced with despondency. A rapid turnover in senior management is often a bad omen.

If your boss looks like this all the time, start getting your resume together.

Hushed meetings

There's been a marked increase in closed door meetings between the bigwigs. If there are glass walls into those offices or boardrooms, you've seen a lot of head shaking and hand wringing.

Departing staff aren't replaced

Whenever people have resigned or gone on maternity leave, management haven't replaced them in that role, permanently or temporarily. Or if many people leave around the same time, those roles are merged.

Plunging stock price and bad press

You work for a large listed company and the stock price has been plummeting, or it's been the subject of really bad press, especially the kind that's speculating whether the business will survive.

Resources are being squeezed.

Risk taking is discouraged

Risky or bold ideas aren't being entertained and management is advocating a 100% 'softly, safely' approach. Also watch out for whether or not there's been much forward planning beyond the next 12 months.

Salespeople are freaking out

If you work in a company with a sales division, salespeople are often the best group to gauge the sentiment by. If the sales team aren't hitting budgets, and they haven't in a while, that's a bad sign.

A plunge in staff morale could mean people are reading the signs.

No pay rise

You haven't had a pay rise in a while, and nor have your colleagues, despite taking on extra work from the roles they haven't replaced. Or worse still, there's officially a pay freeze.

The best people are leaving

Others have read the tea leaves and they're jumping ship. The first ones to make the move are often the best ones with other good prospects.

Low morale

There's a lot of moaning about all or many of the above and no one wants to be there. So it's best you shouldn't be.

###