Time to Go:

Look for more meetings, with increasing frequency, as more bad news rolls in. The company is trying to get ahead of the office grapevine, suppressing rumors so you won't get nervous and quit, hoping you'll stay the course right up until you arrive to find a security guard standing next to a cardboard box filled with the stuff from your cubicle.

Of course, there's also the worst case scenario, which is when the sudden company-wide meeting is held after the bad news hits, because the news was so bad the company couldn't bring itself to say it to your face (like having it turn out the higher ups were robbing the company blind). So we guess another warning sign is if the CEO's speech is interrupted by the cops dragging him out the door.

Now, people change jobs all the time (you'll likely do it every five years or so). So you can't panic every time some executive leaves for greener pastures. But watch for several bailing out at once.

"See ya!"

Also, did Ted up there leave for a job that seems to be way down the ladder from the one he had here? As if it was a choice between taking that or finding himself on the street because his current job was about to go away?

Also, on his last day, did he smear "SAVE YOURSELVES" on the door to his office in his own feces?

Time to Go:

Did you work directly under the departed executive? Are all of your tasks suddenly getting shifted over to other departments, because his replacement prefers to work with his own people? Has someone on the web posted a form resignation letter for your company?

It may be time to call up Ted and TechCom and see if they've got any openings.

Otherwise, the next thing that will happen is...

You might have noticed Ted's role was pretty vital, being VP of sales and all. What's it tell you that your company can't hire a guy to sell their product?

Time to Go:

When they start losing so much staff that it becomes a game of Office Task Musical Chairs, with you and others constantly taking on new duties, but with not even a new title to show for it. Now might be the time to look into that multilevel marketing operation your neighbor was telling you about.

Time to Go:

The smaller the company, the more paying you in stock options hurts them. After all, the more the shares, the less they're actually worth.

So if you're at a tiny company, and all of a sudden they're throwing around stock options like parade confetti, you probably shouldn't look forward to retiring with that company in your golden years.

The Email You'll Get:

"Hi, everybody. We're implementing a new management strategy, as you've probably heard, and we've got a few revisions to policy that you'll need to review. Be sure to print off the attachment, sign it, and bring it to Jan in HR by the end of the week."

"As part of the new policy, you may no longer..."

(Three full pages of rules follow)

What's Actually Going On:

"No more lights after 2pm."

So suddenly, they're clamping down on everything. You have to shut off your PC at night to save electricity. They've somehow found an even cheaper brand of toilet paper, which appears to be made from pressed corn husks.

But worst of all, is the crackdown on office supplies. That's a sign money is so tight, or vendor invoices have remained unpaid for so long, that they can't afford you using too many of them. Out of working pens? OK, here's one.

Time to Go:

Some of these rules may be so arbitrary that you'll wonder if they're intentionally trying to make your life hell. They've made it basically impossible to do your job and every time you break one of the long lists of arbitrary new rules, you get a written notice stuck in your file.

Friend, you may very well be the target of "constructive discharge." This is when a business wants to get rid of you, but doesn't want to have to pay unemployment. So, they pressure you to quit by making it too annoying to work there.

Please note that in some workplaces constructive discharge is difficult to implement because the harassment so closely resembles normal working conditions.

For other ways the man's trying to keep you down check out 6 Brainwashing Techniques They're Using On You Right Now. Or check out The 6 Most Horrifying Ways Anyone Ever Got Rich.