The Sack Axe Is Coming Down: 5 Signs That You Are Getting Laid Off TODAY
- Corporate Kate
- Aug 30
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 30
If you are frantically googling the phrase “signs I am getting laid off today” chances are by the time you find this article that you already have the question answered for you. Companies do their best to keep layoffs under wraps until right before they happen so as not to cause widespread panic and bad press.
But there are some clues you can look for if you think today might be the day that your time at your company comes to an end. Read below to see if you should get a cardboard box and start packing up now.
You have an urgent meeting invite that showed up overnight
Maybe you were checking your calendar to prepare for the next day or you are enjoying your morning coffee while looking through your emails. But then you see it: a meeting for the next day/this morning. You think that maybe there is an urgent issue with a client you oversee but you don't see any emails or Teams messages about anything going on.
Your stomach might be starting to drop here for good reason. Layoff meetings usually aren't scheduled until right before they happen as to not invite questions about what the meeting is about. But just in case there is something urgent happening, check the rest of the signs.
… and that invite is for 8am
It won’t always be at 8am (after all it could be a busy day of laying people off and there might be some names ahead of you) but generally companies like to get their layoffs completely done before lunch so that there isn’t time for rumors to swirl of who will be affected. The day of layoffs also tends to include an update from management once the proceedings are over with the surviving teams and the company as a whole in the late afternoon so the layoff meetings need to be finished early.
Another popular time is on Friday afternoons, when no speculation can take place amongst employees once the deed is done. This seems to be a more popular time for layoffs that occur in an office setting as it allows time for people to pack up their things and head straight into the weekend.
You have a calendar invite with a vague meeting title
Most of the time we like to have our work meetings include an accurate description of what the meeting is being held for so you know how to prepare ahead of time (or decline because some people love to invite others to meetings that have nothing to do with them).
But companies usually invite you to a meeting about impending layoffs with titles such as:
“Quick Update” or “Quick Chat” - if this isn't something you normally receive from your boss be wary
“1:1” - most managers schedule 1:1s well in advance or let you know if there is something they need to meet with you about. If it comes out of nowhere with a quick turnaround time to meet it might be bad news.
“Business Updates” or “Organizational Update” - This means its a good chance you survived a layoff. Most companies will announce to the remaining associates what has happened and what that means for them (unless you are that one CEO who laid 900 people off on a single Zoom call. Diabolical)
“Team Updates” - this can be either informing the team of who was let go or re-orged or you are all going in one fell swoop. Not panic inducing at all right?
“Meeting” - when HR is forced to make a meeting invite and having to keep the context vague. This low of effort is usually not a good sign
4. The meeting invite doesn't list the participants or the agenda
I once knew someone who was on vacation when they were supposed to be laid off. They thought if they just never had the meeting with HR that the layoff would go away when they got back because no one had formally told them they were gone.
Yeah... not how this works. But people will try and get out of having the meeting when they know it's about being laid off. For this reason, most of the meeting invites will have the participant list Bcc'd on the email so you can't know what the meeting is about.
Your manager or your HR partner has a full day of short meetings
Put on your detective hat and start doing some investigating. Laying people off requires the HR associate and the manager have meetings throughout the day to carry out the action. If it's a mass company layoff, they will have a lot of short meetings throughout the day.
Even if your bosses or HR partner's Outlook is private, you still should be able to see the time blocks that are scheduled for the day. Lots of short meetings on a calendar that doesn't usually have them isn't a great sign.
I hope you made it to the end of this list and are breathing a sigh of relief and pumping your fist. Remember that companies can always go off script, so if you are feeling some general anxiety about your future with your current company it's always best to stay prepared for anything.
If existential dread has kicked in instead, know that you aren't alone. Layoffs never feel good (even if it's a job you hate) and the anxiety and sadness you may have can feel all-consuming at times. Sack Hacks is here when you need it because you deserve a bright and optimistic future after a
layoff.
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