Toronto Employment and Labour Blog: Sure Signs You Are About To Be Fired - Sign #4

SIGN #4 - DOLLAR SIGNS 

Your employer tells you times are tough, so you won't be receiving your normal bonus and your salary will be frozen. You learn that others have not been given this news.

You have been singled out for some reason. It is likely your employer is delivering a non-verbal message to you that your productivity, conduct, attitude or all of the above needs improvement. It is the equivalent of a warning letter that begins a chain of letters aimed either at progressive discipline or to justify termination of your employment for cause. If the reduction of compensation is combined with a reduction of responsibilities and a fundamental negative change in your duties and reporting relationships, the employer could be in breach of your employment agreement, depending on the specific terms of that contract and local laws.

Once again, the main goal of the concerned employee is to get to the bottom of the problem. Clearly, the change in compensation is not motivated by economic reasons, otherwise the reduction would be imposed on others as well. It may be a new and antagonistic superior is put in place, who believes that your productivity does not justify your compensation. In any case, the rationale for the decision should be explored quietly by yourself and the superior who has made the decision.

In these circumstances, the intervention of a mentor or friend is often helpful. If this individual enjoys a positive relationship with your supervisor, then he is able to make inquiries to determine the reason for singling you out. A third party's inquiry is usually helpful because you are not dealing with a matter of discipline or even a verbal warning - it is rather a matter of fact, possibly even a miscalculation, with regard to your compensation entitlement. It should be approached on that basis, whether by yourself or by a well-placed friend within the organization.

Do not contact your superior's boss in order to have her take corrective action. You will be made more vulnerable by taking that route. Your actions can easily be interpreted as an attempt to engage in an "end-run" around your superior, an action that is viewed as a negative tactic that demonstrates a lack of respect for the organization's hierarchy. You must address your superior's concerns directly with her or engage a friend to do so. In this way, no one's authority is challenged.

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