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A freeze on hiring. This is an especially vivid sign of trouble if already-scheduled job interviews are cancelled and/or job offers already in progress are put on hold.
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A freeze on spending in general -- even for ordinary items like office supplies or snacks for meetings.
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Scheduled projects are put on hold. You can ask your manager "Just so I understand, why is the project going on hold?" Watch your manager as they answer you -- their body language is more important than their words.
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Managers are hidden away in conference rooms all day long or stay in their offices with the door closed.
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A freeze on pay increases and bonuses -- even pay raises and bonuses that were previously approved.
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Your manager asks you to write your job description and give it to them.
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Managers spend more time than usual in HR.
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Your manager asks for your advice on updating their LinkedIn profile.
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All talk of long-range planning is forgotten. You can't get your manager to respond to email messages about projects they cared desperately about just a few weeks ago.
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Your boss spends hours working alone, creating or editing documents -- maybe spreadsheets listing the employees who are definitely staying, the people who are definitely getting laid off and the folks they're not sure about.