I’ve been on both sides of the performance management process.

Years ago, I had a boss who was marching me through the steps toward termination. It was a painful process, but I learned a lot from it.

Now, as an HR Manager and someone who has led teams ranging in size from 4 people up to 160 people, I’ve seen performance management from the other side of the table. If you’ve never been a manager before, you’ve never seen that side of the process, and you may not know the telltale signs of when you’re about to be fired.

If your manager is sending these five warning signs, you can hopefully use the tips at the end of this story to turn the ship around before it’s too late. I share these warning signals with you not to scare you, but to make you aware.

1. Your manager has begun to CC themself on emails they send you.

Most companies require managers to draft robust documentation before terminating any employee.

For this documentation, managers often jot down notes about tasks you haven’t completed, pull stats about your work (customer service scores, number of cases you’ve closed, etc.), and retain emails that show what warnings they’ve given you.

Savvy managers will blind carbon copy (Bcc) themselves on those emails so the employee is unaware that the manager wants a copy of that email. But some managers use the carbon copy (Cc) feature instead, which means that you’ll be able to see that they copied themselves on the correspondence.

If you see that happen, it could mean nothing or it could mean that they want to have documentation of that conversation.

2. Your manager puts you on a “performance improvement plan.”

The phrase “performance improvement plan” (PIP) sounds innocent, but depending upon the company, it can be quite serious.

A PIP is an agreed-upon plan between the manager and the employee for how the employee needs to improve. It’s distinguished from a standard performance conversation in four ways:

• It is a formal document that the manager works on with the employee.
• It explicitly conveys the seriousness of any performance issues.
• It contains defined steps for improvement in written format.
• It goes into your employee file (whether they tell you it will or not).

Some companies use PIPs frequently. In those companies, it’s common for employees to “get put on a PIP,” then come off the PIP and go back to the status quo.

In other companies, receiving a PIP is one bunny-hop away from termination. For example, one of my old employers used to assume that anyone on a PIP would be terminated.

The seriousness of a PIP depends upon the company. Regardless, a PIP is a warning sign that you need to improve in order to keep your job with the firm.

3. Your boss has begun to point out the tiny details you’ve missed.

If a manager is gathering documentation about why you’re not the right fit for the company, they’re going to begin noticing smaller details about your performance.

They’ll likely begin to mention little things you’ve missed — tasks they’ve never cared about before. They may also be noting those things in their documentation to show that you’re not detail-oriented or that you’re having trouble keeping up with small aspects of your job.

Remember that — just like with the other items on this list — there are multiple non-scary reasons why a manager could be pointing out these small things. Some managers are inherently detail-oriented. Some managers obsess over improving a microscopic aspect of the business for a few weeks (inventory counts, speed of closing cases, etc.), then move on to their next obsession (quality of work, customer experience scores, etc.).

But if your manager never used to care about the details and now they do, or if they don’t care about the details for anyone except you, it could be a sign that your job is in jeopardy.

4. You’ve noticed that your boss’s boss doesn’t like you.

Most people don’t realize the amount of power that their boss’s boss has over their employment. I’ve seen numerous situations where a senior manager applied pressure on a mid-level manager to fire a front-line employee.

The tough part is that if the senior manager “sees something” about the employee that the mid-level manager doesn’t see, then the senior manager may begin to question the mid-level manager’s ability to do their job. In other words, if the mid-level manager doesn’t take action with the employee in question, the manager’s own job could be on the line.

What that means is that even if your boss likes you, they may need to decide between protecting you and protecting themselves. That’s an uncomfortable position, and it may prompt your manager to act more forcefully than they would otherwise.

5. Your boss has begun to ramp up their warnings.

Most people suck at giving feedback. It takes courage to tell an employee that if they don’t improve, they’re going to lose their job. Because it takes courage, many managers don’t give that type of message until it’s too late.

If your manager has been gradually sharing harsher messages with you and you get the sense that they have even more they’d like to say, it’s possible that they’re moving toward termination but don’t have the guts to tell you yet.

In an ideal world, every person would know exactly where they stand at all times, but unfortunately, the world doesn’t work like that.

If you’ve noticed these warning signals, what can you do?

Thankfully, even if you’ve noticed a few of the signs above, it may not be too late. There are many things you can do to improve your performance and give yourself an opportunity to keep your job:

• Follow through and follow up. Of course, you should always do this, but if you’re being performance managed, follow-through becomes even more critical. If your boss (or anyone else) asks you to do something, complete it as fast as you can AND circle back with them afterward to let them know you completed the task.
• Pay attention to the details. The little things matter, now more than ever.
• Find ways to communicate with your boss proactively. Take the initiative to give them updates even before they’ve asked for an update.
• Ask your manager to be honest with you about your performance. Tell them that you sincerely want to improve and that you want to learn from them how to become a strong performer. (Stroking their ego doesn’t hurt.)
• Consider casually looking for other jobs. Tune up your resume and your LinkedIn profile. One reason this is important is that it helps you prove to yourself that there are a million other opportunities available. That knowledge can give you confidence in your future and your abilities during this time that you need it most.
• Don’t lose hope. Don’t resign yourself to the idea that you’re going to lose your job. Now is your chance to prove how scrappy and resilient you are.

Many business articles conclude with a quote from a business visionary like Warren Buffett, Sheryl Sandberg, or Steve Jobs. Instead, I leave you with these lyrics from Destiny’s Child:

I’m a survivor, I’m not gon’ give up
I’m not gon’ stop, I’m gon’ work harder
I’m a survivor, I’m gonna make it
I will survive, keep on survivin’

You’re a survivor. Now go out and prove it.