a company is going belly up?I'm sure lower level employees are the last to know but are there outward signs before the layoffs start?

offices start being emptied in the middle of the night

chains and locks on the door.

heightened or lessened security
computers missing
accounting dept employees working weird hours

less work
less need for employees
employees sent home due to lack of work

upper management takes a vacation at company expense....usually there last fling before the axe falls....when the big shots vanish for a while ..be carefull

or the paper towels dispensors in the wash rooms, they get real cheap paper....first sign...no soap, or really cheap toilet paper....real bad sign...or u see the company cars start disappearing...been repo another good sign...

there are vast things to watch out for...especially if your cx is post dated....or they give to u and forgot to sign....payroll delays, lots of guys in black suits walking around the office (irs or bank)

or u see some machinery being taken out...????

all signs of company on the edge...

If the yearly 'social' events are work are scaled way down or canceled. If the office 'perks' although not the best word, start to disappear. If vacancies created by people who have left or been promoted are never filled.

actually ...the best sign is when company starts to hire (temps) using an outside source for employees...around my parts...goes on a lot and seems a short time later ...company for some god unknown reason is closing its doors....no severance, holiday, union,,, easy to eliminated the work force...and no reprocussions

Not always. Company I work for hires temps all the time. And will only fill vacancies from interviewing from withing first and interviewing the temps that have been there 6 months at least. Then they will look outside. They want to have a good idea about the person afore they even interview.

nervous chit chat around empty water coolers...

cutedevil, you may never see the signs. A Lot of companies actually borrow operating cost. A Lot of reasons easier accounting? more ways to hide profits So as a small company when the money runs out their toast. How many have been operating with less than perfect credit?? Tighten of the chains as already happened. Hard to get credit. But if people are not working where do they get the money to pay for the things anyway?

My friend got laid off today. This is what happened with her company, but they were open about the possibilities. The time-frames were just faster than she thought. I helped her file a claim for unemployment online tonight. It was the first time either of us had to do that. It was awful.

...is right...

...is right...