I’ve been through 3 rounds of layoffs (twice in HR, once when I was also laid off), and there’s a pattern that emerges before the axe falls. Not trying to create paranoia, but if you’re seeing multiple signs on this list, it might be time to update your resume.

This got long, so I’ve broken it down by timeline and severity. Hopefully this helps someone see what’s coming and prepare accordingly.

EARLY WARNING SIGNS (3-6 months out)

Financial and strategic shifts:

Hiring freeze gets announced, especially if it’s sudden or poorly explained. When companies say “we’re being strategic about growth” out of nowhere, that’s HR-speak for “we’re about to cut costs aggressively.” Pay attention to whether it’s a soft freeze (critical roles only) or hard freeze (literally nobody).

Executives start talking about “efficiency,” “operational excellence,” “doing more with less,” or “rightsizing” in all-hands meetings. Once leadership starts using these phrases repeatedly, start paying attention. They’re preparing employees psychologically for cuts.

The company misses earnings or revenue targets multiple quarters in a row, or leadership keeps revising guidance downward. Public companies especially - check their investor relations page and quarterly calls.

Consultants show up. Specifically McKcKinsey, Bain, Deloitte, or similar firms. They’re not there to make things better for employees - they’re there to identify “redundancies” and provide cover for cuts leadership already wants to make. If you see consultants doing org chart analysis or “efficiency studies,” that’s a massive red flag.

Leadership changes at the top. New CEO, CFO, or COO often means new priorities. New executives frequently want to “make their mark” within the first 100 days, and layoffs are a quick way to cut costs and restructure.

Budget and resource signals:

Training and development budgets disappear. Conference approvals get denied, software licenses don’t get renewed, that certification you wanted gets tabled indefinitely. When companies stop investing in employee development, they’re not planning long-term with current staff.

Discretionary spending freezes. Team outings canceled, holiday parties scaled back or eliminated, small perks disappear. These are the easiest costs to cut first.

Delayed or frozen merit increases and bonuses. If annual raises get “postponed” or bonuses are cut despite decent performance, the company is hoarding cash for something.

Open headcount gets quietly closed. You might not notice a hiring freeze officially, but those three open roles on your team just stop being discussed.

Cultural and messaging changes:

The “we’re a family” messaging intensifies. Ironically, when companies start really pushing the culture stuff hard, it’s often because morale is tanking and they know what’s coming. Authentic culture doesn’t need constant reinforcement.

Town halls become more frequent but less substantive. Leadership is trying to control the narrative and keep people calm, but they’re not actually saying anything meaningful.

Internal communications shift tone. Messages become more formal, more carefully worded, more legal-sounding. This usually means lawyers are reviewing everything.

Real estate and facilities:

Office consolidation starts being discussed. Subleasing space, breaking leases early, or suddenly pushing hybrid/remote work after being office-focused. Real estate is expensive and often the first place companies look to cut.

Facilities staff reductions. If maintenance, security, or reception teams shrink, that’s a leading indicator.

MEDIUM-TERM SIGNS (1-3 months out)

The ones people miss:

Your manager starts acting weird in 1-on-1s. They seem distant, can’t give you clear answers about future projects, or suddenly don’t want to talk about your career development, or they cancel 1-on1s. They often know 4-6 weeks before you do and are terrible at hiding it. Watch for:

• Avoiding eye contact

• Being vague about Q2/Q3 planning

• Not fighting for resources they normally would

• Seeming stressed or checked out

Cross-functional projects get canceled or put on hold indefinitely. If that big initiative involving multiple teams suddenly loses steam, it’s often because leadership knows the teams won’t exist soon.

Reorganizations that don’t make sense. When they shuffle reporting structures or combine teams in weird ways, they’re often preparing for consolidation. The reorg is the setup; the layoff is the follow-through.

Senior people start leaving and aren’t replaced. When your VP quietly exits and the role just disappears or gets absorbed, that’s a restructure preview. Execs often see the writing on the wall before layoffs and jump ship.

The “high performer” narrative shifts. Suddenly everyone’s being evaluated more critically, PIPs increase, and the bar for “meeting expectations” gets higher. They’re building paper trails.

HR and administrative signals:

HR schedules random meetings with employees to “check in.” This can be them gauging morale, but it can also be them identifying who might be problems during layoffs (ie, who might sue or cause issues).

Increased focus on documentation. HR suddenly cares a lot about having everything in writing, attendance records are scrutinized, minor policy violations are documented. They’re building files.

Anonymous surveys about “organizational effectiveness” or role clarity.” They’re identifying redundancies and overlapping responsibilities.

Operational changes:

Vendors get cut or renegotiated aggressively. If the company is trying to save money everywhere, labor costs are next.

Projects shift from innovation to maintenance. All the exciting new work stops, and teams are just keeping lights on. This suggests they don’t believe in long-term investment right now.

Contractors and temps disappear first. This is always the canary in the coal mine. If contractors are let go en masse, full-time employees are usually 4-8 weeks behind.

Financial desperation moves:

The company takes on debt or seeks additional funding under unfavorable terms. This suggests cash flow problems.

Asset sales. Selling off business units, real estate, IP, or other assets to raise cash.

Delayed payments to vendors. If your company is stretching payables or late on bills, they’re struggling with cash.

IMMEDIATE RED FLAGS (2-4 weeks out)

The “oh shit” tier:

You or your team suddenly gets asked to document all your processes in detail, create runbooks, or do knowledge transfers “for continuity.” They’re preparing for people to be gone and don’t want institutional knowledge walking out the door.

Managers have mysterious meetings that aren’t on the calendar, or meetings that say “leadership sync” with no agenda. Often they’re being told how to “rank” their teams (stack ranking) or getting trained on how to deliver termination news.

HR blocks calendar time that’s marked private across the entire organization on the same day. That’s layoff day. Usually a Wednesday or Thursday.

Managers seem panicked or are suddenly unavailable. They’re either in planning meetings or mentally preparing for what they have to do.

IT or Security starts asking random questions about access, or you notice permissions audits. They’re preparing to revoke access quickly.

Conference rooms get blocked all day with “private” meetings. Those are the termination meetings.

The parking lot has way more cars than usual early in the morning on a random day. Leadership arrives early to prepare and coordinate.

The final 48 hours:

Executives all happen to be “in the office” on the same day when they’re usually remote or traveling. They want to show their faces and deliver messages in person.

Your manager asks for a “quick sync” with no context, or you get a calendar invite for early morning with just “meeting.” That’s often the termination conversation.

You notice coworkers disappearing into conference rooms and not coming back, or leaving with boxes. If it’s happening, it’s happening to multiple people today.

Email access starts acting weird, VPN connections drop, or badge access to certain areas stops working. IT is already starting to shut you down.

WHAT TO DO - ACTION PLAN

Preparation phase (as soon as you see early signs)

Update LinkedIn immediately. Make sure your profile is complete and compelling. Turn on “open to work” privately so recruiters can see it but your company can’t.

Refresh your resume and tailor it for your target roles. Have multiple versions ready for different job types. Get it reviewed by someone who knows your industry.

Document your accomplishments with metrics. Revenue generated, costs saved, projects delivered, teams built. Save this somewhere personal, not company equipment.

Save important files legally. Performance reviews, reference letters, samples of your work (that aren’t confidential), documentation of your achievements. Email them to your personal account or save to personal cloud storage. Do NOT take confidential company information, client data, or proprietary code.

Screenshot or save your LinkedIn recommendations and endorsements. Sometimes people leave and delete their profiles.

Reconnect with your network NOW while you’re employed. It’s easier to get coffee as a “catch up” than as a desperate job seeker. Reach out to old colleagues, mentors, recruiters you’ve worked with.

Financial preparation:

Build emergency fund if possible. Even an extra month of expenses helps.

Understand your benefits. Know your PTO balance, how severance works at your company (if there’s a standard package), what COBRA costs, when your stock vests, and what happens to your 401k.

Reduce expenses where you can. Not to panic level, but maybe hold off on big purchases.

Check if you have any loans against 401k or obligations tied to employment. Some companies require repayment upon termination.

Legal and administrative:

Keep records of everything. If you suspect you’re being targeted unfairly (discrimination, retaliation), document it meticulously with dates and witnesses.

Check your employment contract for non-compete, non-solicitation, and IP assignment clauses. Know what you signed.

Mental preparation:

This is not about your worth. Layoffs are business decisions, usually driven by executive mistakes or market conditions. Even top performers get cut.

Have a plan for how you’ll spend day one after a layoff. Whether it’s updating your resume, going for a run, or calling a friend, having a plan helps you not spiral.

Tell your partner or trusted person what might be coming. Don’t suffer alone or let it blindside your household.

If/when it happens:

Don’t sign anything immediately. You usually have time to review severance agreements. Consider having an employment lawyer review it, especially if it includes non-compete or release clauses.

Negotiate if possible. Severance, extended healthcare, references, job search support, equity vesting. The worst they can say is no, and many companies have wiggle room.

File for unemployment immediately. Even if you get severance, you might be eligible. Don’t leave money on the table.

Ask for a neutral reference or letter of recommendation before you leave. Much easier to get this on day one than six months later.

Understand what’s happening to your benefits. COBRA deadlines, life insurance conversion options, FSA/HSA balances.

Get contact info for colleagues you want to stay in touch with. Once you lose email access, it’s hard to reconnect.

Job search strategy:

Take a day or two to process emotionally. You don’t have to start applying immediately.

Quality over quantity. Targeted applications with customized materials beat spray-and-pray.

Use your network first. Most jobs are filled through referrals. Let people know you’re looking.

Consider contract or freelance work to bridge gaps. It keeps money coming in and shows you stayed active.

Be honest in interviews about the layoff. “Company went through restructuring” or “position was eliminated due to budget cuts” is fine. Most interviewers get it, especially if layoffs were public.

WHAT NOT TO DO

Don’t panic or make it obvious you’re job hunting. Don’t print your resume on the company printer, don’t take recruiting calls at your desk, don’t update LinkedIn with “OPEN TO WORK” publicly while still employed.

Don’t badmouth the company publicly. Even if you’re furious, keep it professional. The industry is smaller than you think.

Don’t stop doing your job. Keep performing until the end. You want good references and you never know what might change.

Don’t burn bridges with your manager. Even if they’re delivering bad news, they’re probably just doing what they were told. Stay professional.

Don’t take things that aren’t yours. Seriously, don’t steal company property, access data you shouldn’t, or do anything that could give them cause for termination instead of layoff. You want that severance and unemployment eligibility.

AFTERMATH - IF YOU SURVIVE THE CUT

Survivor’s guilt is real. It’s okay to feel relieved and also sad for colleagues who were let go.

Your workload is about to increase dramatically. Set boundaries early and document what’s not getting done. Don’t try to do three people’s jobs.

Start looking anyway. Companies that do one round of layoffs often do more. Plus, the culture and workload might not be sustainable.

Support your laid-off colleagues. Write recommendations, make introductions, be a reference. What goes around comes around.

I kind of saw the signs when the manager started diverting my duties to others and avoided talking to me. It was pretty much confirmed when they didn't put my name as point of contact for our alarm permit. I was told we had poor sales and they could no longer afford me. I tried my best to keep myself cool and not make a fuss and just grabbed my things and walked out.

I just finished applying for unemployment and hope they approve it. I tried to look up job search tips but nothing is getting into my head right now. My tears are forming as I type this so it looks like my emotions have finally caught up. I want to cry my hearts out but I don't want to let my brother see or hear it. I don't want to tell anyone because they'll just ask me what I'm doing to find a new job. I know what I should be doing but I can't bring myself to do anything right now.

They said they couldn't afford me, but I know that's not really what's up. Two years ago we lost a department manager and the store manager. I was handling pretty much everything except for hiring and scheduling until they found a new manager. But we were still without a dept manager so the new manager took that role while I did what I had been doing. The new manager was trying to hand some of his job on me but I told him I couldn't do both after trying it for a month. They eventually brought back a former employee who is the brother of a manager at HQ and was fired previously for missing too many days work.

The place has been losing sales for 8 years so it's only a matter of when the owner decides it's no longer worth paying out of his pocket to keep the place up. It's crazy that I first got hired to do IT for the store, then I ended up learning to code on my own to generate and e-mail orders from a spreadsheet, which they still use to this day.

I have 9k in savings which isn't much. I also have 13k in 401k in case things really go south. For now I just want to feel like shit and maybe relax for a bit because I feel like a mess right now.

TLDR: I got laid off a week from Christmas and it sucks

Feeling devastated! I was laid off from work today. They terminated me without cause, and apparently, they can do that if they pay in lieu of notice. I'm just upset with the way they delivered the news; I wasn't even allowed to pack my own stuff. The director of my team, who I thought had a fun personality, was emotionless—like a robot. I expected him to show some compassion when delivering news like this. I didn’t even get to save my work; he told me to email my design manager about it. I wasn't allowed to talk to anyone and was immediately escorted out of the building. This is a 100-employee company—small enough that everyone knows each other well. I worked there for two years, and this is how they treat you when they no longer need you.

Is this normal practice when people get laid off? I haven’t been laid off before, so this type of behavior is baffling to me, as if I were some criminal. I wasn’t even allowed to say goodbye to my coworkers

I was laid off in February from my job of 9 years. I finally landed a new job in October and have been working there for 2 months. The team is great, the work is fine...the processes are extremely different from my last company but I am getting used to things. Overall...things are going fine.

I feel like my layoff + 8 months of rejection from hundreds of jobs has left my confidence at rock bottom. I was actually approved for a promotion before I was laid off. My layoff was a bit complicated because my boss or his boss were not involved in the decision. Our VP who got my promotion approved was laid off, our team was then being moved under another VP, and that VP decided to lay me off without discussing with anyone. All that to say that my layoff really caught me off guard because I was doing exceptionally well at work. And I feel like this has led me to never really feel..."safe". And it's also intensified every little mistake I've made at my new job. For reference, I'm in graphic design, and even getting typical design feedback during the review process, which normally I would not think twice about, has me feeling like I'm at risk of being fired/laid off. And I know it's irrational but being laid off is genuinely traumatic. And being rejected non-stop for 8 months is also fairly traumatic. I really feel like...even if I'm doing well I'm at risk. And a small mistake will SURELY put me at risk.

I'm just wondering how long it took people to get past this feeling and start feeling at least more comfortable at your new job? I feel like I'll never feel "safe" necessarily, but I just want to feel comfortable and not question ever little thing!

Amazon is planning to cut as many as 30,000 corporate jobs beginning Tuesday, as the company works to pare expenses and compensate for overhiring during the peak demand of the pandemic, according to three people familiar with the matter.

The figure represents a small percentage of Amazon’s 1.55 million total employees, but nearly 10% of the company’s roughly 350,000 corporate employees. This would represent the largest job cut at Amazon since around 27,000 jobs were eliminated starting in late 2022.

Managers of impacted teams were asked to undergo training on Monday for how to communicate with staff following notifications that will start going out via email tomorrow morning

https://www.reuters.com/business/world-at-work/amazon-targets-many-30000-corporate-job-cuts-sources-say-2025-10-27/

What are your thoughts on this?

There are plenty of layoffs happening all over right now. I don't think my company (or any company) is immune to it. I've been with mine for quite a while now and have never been laid off before. With a family including young kids it's a scary thought.

Have you ever went through one? I'd like to hear about your experience.

Found out this morning when HR joined a meeting that I thought was just going to be a catch up with my manager and I... I’m remote so I didn’t get to say goodbye to anyone, just got immediately locked out of everything which really hurt, ngl.

I feel like this couldn’t have happened at a worse time. The job market is absolutely terrible right now and my severance package will only last me a month and a half so I’m honestly terrified. If anyone is dealing with the same right now any advice is welcome.

I’m 26F and just got laid off for the first time in my career. This job was perfect - I had an amazing manager, it was fully remote, paid over six figures, and the work was interesting and rewarding. It was a significant pay raise from my last job too. I’m feeling really depressed right now. I’m getting married in less than 2 months too. I have no idea what to even do right now. I’d love to hear layoff success stories. Anyone who got laid off but ended up in a better job or became an entrepreneur instead, etc.

Really need to hear some positive stories to help myself feel better :(

Got laid off this morning from a job I was at for a little over 3 years, and this evening come across a post from the CEO on Linkedin bragging about company profits.

These companies don't care about any of us.

Now I have to spend months, if not a year or more, finding a new company that won't care about me either.

It's exhausting.

I am devastated. I loved my job so much. I loved my boss. I worked there for a little over 2 years and I truly thought this was my career for life. I thought I was set and would never have to go through another interview again. But here I am, back to the start. I’ll never find another company like that, but clearly I wasn’t that special if I was one of the ones to go. I’m just really sad and hurt. Feeling a lot of emotions. I’ve never experienced a lay off, just had to vent.

Is it purely cost and tenure, is there a list that circulates around executives to get alignment, or does each leader just submit a list that hits a certain target number/price?

All major MNC's & MAANG companies' revenue and stock prices are at an all-time high, and even startups are securing funding faster than ever. AI still isn't in a position to take jobs, so why are all major companies laying off employees and why is so hard to secure a job?