A distressed company usually shows signs of trouble which are reoccurring and not industry specific.
Warning Signs:
Selling assets
Reducing or eliminating dividends
Earnings misses
Cultural crisis
Unclear ethical standards
Employees speaking out publicly
Deteriorating facilities
Layoffs
Fewer raises
Ruined Brand
Too many meetings behind closed doors.
Key personnel or senior leadership turnover.
Continual staff replacement
Hiring freezes
Bad employee – employer relations
Communication breakdowns
Bad press and poor media management
Disgruntled stakeholders
Uncertainty in the organization
Evasive CEO
No long term goals or plans
Defensive management
Credibility problems
Quality issues with products and services
Unmotivated employees
Excessive rumors and gossip
Extravagant pay of executives
Delay in implementing approved projects without sufficient explanation
Unusual shift away from the company’s traditional strategy
Adverse legal action
Inability to comply with government regulation
Employees are playing musical chairs
Reduction of employee perks and benefits