Something to doJob security
Read the signals your company is sending
A simple exercise to understand where your company is heading, from the source rather than the rumor mill
Why it’s worth your time
Companies say a lot about where they're headed, if you read it on purpose. What leaders talk about, hire for and stop mentioning tells you what's growing and what's being trimmed. Twenty minutes with the source tends to turn a vague worry into a clearer picture you can act on.
How to tell where your company is heading
You’ll come away with a short note on what's growing, what's shrinking, and where your work sits.
We’ll turn this into a checklist you can tick off.
- Gather what leaders have said lately.
The last three months or so: all-hands recordings, leadership emails, the company blog and press releases. If your company is public, add the latest earnings call or shareholder letter. Then look at your own company's careers page.
Tip: Where a company is hiring is where it's spending. The careers page is often the most candid thing it publishes.
- Note what's growing.
Listen for words like invest, priority, expand and new, and for the teams, products and markets that come up again and again.
- Note what's shrinking, or has gone quiet.
Anything described as paused, consolidated or under review, and any project that used to be in every update and has dropped out.
- Place your own work on the map.
Is your team on the growing side, the shrinking side, or somewhere unclear? Be honest; that's the point.
- Write down the one question you still have.
Something you couldn't answer from what you read. It's the best thing to bring to your next 1:1.
Good moments for this: after each all-hands or earnings callonce a quarterwhen the rumor mill gets busy
We’ll turn this into a checklist you can tick off.
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Making it work for you
Every workplace is different. Here’s what to think about before you start, and what might get in the way.
Things to think about
That isn't spin to resent; it's how leaders signal a shift without alarming everyone. Read it for what gets more airtime and what gets less.
What might make this harder
Use what exists: all-hands, the careers page, customer news and what's happening to competitors. Your manager is a good source for the rest.
Questions people ask
How can I tell if layoffs are coming?
No one can know for sure from outside the room. Signals worth watching include hiring slowing or freezing, repeated talk of efficiency or cost, reorganizations, and projects that stop being mentioned. They're reasons to get ready, not proof.
How do I read my company's earnings call?
Listen for what leaders spend the most time on, what they call priorities, and where they mention investing or cutting costs. The questions analysts ask often point to the company's biggest pressures.
What does it mean when a company says it's focusing on its core business?
Usually that it plans to put more money and people into its main products and less into newer or smaller bets. If your work sits outside the core, it's worth understanding how it's seen.
How do I know if my team is at risk?
Look at whether your team's work is mentioned as a priority, whether it's hiring, and how it connects to what leaders say matters. Your manager may be able to tell you more about priorities, even if they can't predict decisions.
Why this works, and where it comes from
When things feel shaky, the rumor mill fills the space that information leaves. Someone heard something from someone, and a whole floor spends the afternoon worried. Most of what you need to understand your company's direction is already available to you. It's scattered across all-hands, emails, earnings calls and the careers page, and it's easy to skim rather than read.
Reading it on purpose changes what you notice. Leaders tend to spend their words on what they're betting on and go quiet on what they're pulling back from. Put what they say next to where they're hiring, over a few months, and the direction is often clearer than any single announcement makes it sound.
It also helps to remember what these decisions are. When a company cuts a product, freezes hiring or reorganizes, it's making a call about its own priorities, cash and competitors. A cut is a decision about the business, not a verdict on the people in it. Seeing it that way doesn't make it painless, but it makes it easier to respond clearly instead of personally.
Once layoffs have been announced and your role is in scope, stop reading signals. The useful questions are then practical ones about timing, severance, benefits and references, and HR or the official notice will answer them better than any all-hands. Save the careful reading for the stretch before decisions are made, when understanding still gives you room to move.
Other simple things to consider
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An exercise written by Truest, based on our experience. Last updated October 2, 2026. We sell a career membership; where that’s relevant above, we say so.