Have you ever been laid off or know someone who has?

I can answer yes to both. And whether it was co-workers, friends or myself, the signs were there long before it actually happened.

Getting laid off is surprisingly common. Each year, about 20 million Americans (that’s more than 1 in 10) lose their job through layoffs, restructurings or the company going out of business. Many of those hard-working employees are caught off guard, despite what an outsider might say are obvious signs. Sometimes it’s a case of denial or wishful thinking that keep people from seeing the end is coming. Often though, employees just aren’t sure what to make of the signs they are seeing. Of course, it doesn’t help when your boss or executives try to reassure you that everything is OK and there is a bright future ahead, whether they believe it or not.

Take for instance the 31,000 employees of Toys R Us who are about to lose their jobs. Many knew the company was struggling and closing stores, but since their store wasn’t on the closing list, they thought they were safe. Then they were shocked to hear the announcement. Of course, there were the sudden collapses of MCI WorldCom, Enron, Arthur Anderson and Lehman Brothers, to name a few. Of course, not all layoffs are the result of headline-grabbing corporate collapses.

Most layoffs come from cost-cutting or corporate restructurings, hitting a few specific individuals, teams or divisions. Take, for instance, a recent layoff at an information technology company where an entire team of data scientists was laid off, much to the surprise of many of the team members. They had been told repeatedly over the years by their executives how they were leading the company into the future. They were the elite group everyone would turn to solve the most complex problems. Their leaders talked about big projects on the horizon that bring the company new business.

However, the reality wasn’t actually as rosy as the ego-boosting rhetoric designed to keep engagement levels high. The big contract was never signed. Or the next one. The new projects to develop products never came. Division after division stopped looking to the team for help. The projects shifted from client work to research and stealth projects that would be completed and presented to corporate executives once they worked. Essentially busy work. The team was becoming irrelevant. The reason why is beside the point. Team members outside the leadership have little influence over these matters.

Regardless of whether you choose to take your chances staying aboard, hoping for the best and trying to build a better future for the team or whether you would rather move on if you knew what was coming, you should never be surprised about a layoff coming. Whether you as an individual or as part of a larger group is in danger of being cut, the signs are often similar: