职场潜规则 你可能被炒鱿鱼的六个征兆

Steve Walker, a veteran executive for Safeway Co., figured his long tenure offered protection from a layoff. He figured wrong.
在超市运营商Safeway Co.长期担任高管的史蒂夫・沃克尔(Steve Walker)曾经以为，自己为公司工作了这么长的时间，应该可以免遭被裁员的命运，但他想错了。

He lost his job as vice president of corporate retail services last November amid cost cuts at the supermarket operator. Mr. Walker now realizes there were warnings. For instance, he says, his usually friendly boss turned terse during his final months.
沃克尔去年11月丢掉了公司零售服务副总裁的职位，当时Safeway正在推出一轮成本削减措施。他现在意识到，曾经有种种迹象预示这一天的到来。他说，举个例子，平时一向友好的老板在他离职前的几个月突然变得有了距离感。

Mr. Walker's surprise over his sudden dismissal is hardly unique. Many highly confident executives miss subtle signs that they're on the way out.
突然被解雇给沃克尔带来意外并非个案。许多信心满满的高管都不曾看到那些预示自己即将被炒的细微迹象。

Jill Abramson got abruptly fired in May as executive editor of the New York Times -- an ouster that she didn't see coming, she said in a TV interview Wednesday. About 70% of unemployed executives now counselled by Shields Meneley Partners overlooked or ignored cumulative clues about the falling ax, estimates Gail Meneley, co-founder of the career-transition firm. The improved economy makes senior managers 'less sensitive to reading the signs of trouble,' explains Hugh Shields, its other founder.
时任《纽约时报》(New York Times)主编的吉尔・艾布拉姆森(Jill Abramson) 5月份突然遭解雇，她在上周三的一个电视采访节目中说，自己事先一点都没有预料到会发生这种事。提供职业转型咨询服务的Shields Meneley Partners的联合创始人盖尔・梅内利(Gail Meneley)估计，目前在该公司进行咨询的失业公司高管中，大约70%的人都忽视了或者根本没有理会预示自己将被解雇的种种迹象。该公司另外一名合伙人休・希尔兹(Hugh Shields)说，由于经济形势有所好转，高级经理人对于判断出现问题的迹象不再那么敏锐。

Increased time pressures further hamper executives' awareness about an imminent job loss. They frequently admit later that ''the signs were there. I was too busy trying to get things done,'' reports Dee Soder, managing partner of CEO Perspective Group, an executive-advisory concern.
时间压力的加重更加令高管无法意识到自己快要丢掉工作了。提供公司高管顾问服务的CEO Perspective Group的执行合伙人迪・索德(Dee Soder)说，他们事后常常承认说，明明是有迹象的，可是我忙着完成工作却没有注意到。

This year's takeover boom undoubtedly will spark a new wave of management suite shakeups. On Thursday, Microsoft Corp. announced plans for fewer management layers and the elimination of up to 18,000 jobs, a streamlining move following its recent acquisition of a Nokia business. Lack of clarity about a post-merger role 'could be a sign that you're on the list for outplacement,' warns Sanjay Sathe, CEO of RiseSmart Inc., another provider of outplacement services.
今年的并购潮无疑将引发新一轮企业管理层调整。微软(Microsoft Corp.)周四宣布了减少管理层级数及裁员至多18,000人的计划，以此作为其最近收购诺基亚(Nokia)业务之后的一项精简措施。新职介绍服务商RiseSmart Inc.的首席执行长萨特(Sanjay Sathe)警告说，如果你在并购后公司中扮演的角色缺乏明确性，那么这可能意味着你上了离职名单。

Prompt recognition of shaky job security might help executives win richer exit packages and mount better employment searches, experts say. Here are six warning signs, gathered from nearly 20 outplacement advisers, leadership coaches, executive recruiters and layoff victims.
专家们说，迅速意识到职位不稳定风险可能有助于高管获得更优厚的离职补偿并在寻找新工作时增添优势。下面是六个值得警惕的离职信号，收集自近20名新职介绍顾问、领导学教练、企业招聘人员和裁员受害者：

Your boss refuses to discuss your long-term projects
老板拒绝讨论你的长期项目

Last year, the marketing vice president of a small maker of consumer goods wanted to hire a booth designer for a trade show that was eight months away. His employer showcases new items at the annual event.
去年，一家消费品小生产商的营销副总裁希望为八个月后的贸易展会聘用一名展位设计师。他的雇主会在这个一年一度的展会上展示新产品。

The chief executive balked at approving the show budget for at least 30 days, however. The VP 'didn't connect the dots,' recalls Laurence J. Stybel, co-founder of Stybel Peabody Lincolnshire, a Boston leadership consultancy who advised the manufacturer. 'That should have been a warning sign.'
不过，首席执行长迟迟（至少30天）没有批准相关展览预算。Stybel Peabody Lincolnshire联合创始人Laurence J. Stybel在回忆时说，这位副总裁没有将点滴小事联系起来看，这原本会是一个值得警惕的迹象。Stybel Peabody Lincolnshire是一家总部位于波士顿的咨询公司，也是这家小生产商的顾问。

The man lost his job two months later. The lesson? Watch for significant shifts in your supervisor's decision-making process.
两个月后，这位副总裁失去了他的工作。教训是什么？要注意上级决策程序的重要变化。