Getting Outsourced? Here's What to Expect.

1. You begin to hear rumors of outsourcing at your company.
   
2. You inquire as to whether the rumors are true.
   
3. Management tells you that the rumors are not true.
   
4. Management tells you that the rumors are somewhat true and that the company is looking into outsourcing for low-level functions.
   
5. You are told not to worry and to "stay focused" on your job.
   
6. Management announces that the company has decided to outsource and is in the process of choosing a company to suit their needs.
   
7. An outsourcing company is chosen and the company enters "due diligence" with the sourcing company.
   
8. Management assures you that is not a "done deal", that the company may not outsource and that you should "stay focused".
   
9. You become hopeful that they will come to their senses and you try to stay positive.
   
10. Either management announces that the company has signed a contract with the outsourcing company or you hear about it on the news.
    
11. Management insists that nothing will change for you and that you should "stay focused".
    
12. You begin to get depressed and question whether you should get your resume together.
    
13. You hear rumors about a list of names of the people that will be "rebadged" and moved to the new outsourcing company.
    
14. You lie awake at night wondering if your name is on the list and, if it is, what you should do.
    
15. Management tells you that there is no list and that you should "stay focused".
    
16. Management admits there is a list the same day you find out your name is on it.
    
17. You begin to go home after work each day and visit Monster.com.
    
18. You start working on your resume but don't do much more than stare at the screen.
    
19. You start to see or become part of groups of your peers that gather by water coolers, office corners, or vending machines speaking in hushed tones about what is going on.
    
20. After exhausting yourselves from having endless discussions with each other, you all decide to give it a chance.
    
21. The outsourcing company starts to show its presence. You begin to see people you don't recognize in your building or on your floor.
    
22. You begin to attend "town hall meetings" and information sessions on benefits and HR issues held by the outsourcing company.
    
23. You realize that you are being screwed out of money and benefits.
    
24. You receive your offer letter from the new company and are told that if you do not accept the offer, you will be considered a voluntary termination and will not receive severance or unemployment.
    
25. You use the internet to start researching if what is happening to you is legal. Sadly, you find out it is.
    
26. You accept the offer in spite of all your dreams of shoving the letter back into their faces and walking out the door.
    
27. You begin to see drastic changes in things that management told you would stay the same.
    
28. You feel out of control and begin working harder on your resume.
    
29. You begin to question your existence and what you are doing with your life.
    
30. You start exploring other career options.
    
31. You get more depressed and bitter because you don't feel qualified to do anything else.
    
32. You go on your first interview anyway.
    
33. You come home from the interview discouraged because it didn't go as well as you had hoped.
    
34. On the heels of disappointment, you start telling yourself how much easier it is to be comfortable and resign yourself to making it work at the outsourcing company.
    
35. Every week announcements are made by the outsourcing company on process and role changes immediately relevant to your job that make your life more difficult.
    
36. You get angry because both companies are treating you like you should be happy to have a job at all.
    
37. You discover that all your coworkers are depressed too and you become part of a series of daily depressing discussions regarding how you are being treated and what you can do about it.
    
38. You start eating more, drinking more, smoking more or spending more to make yourself feel better.
    
39. You feel more out of control because you are eating more, drinking more, smoking more or spending more.
    
40. You now see clear signs that your job is in danger with the new company, due to one or a combination of more than one of the following factors:
    
    - the outsourcing company is beginning to replace the "rebadged" jobs with offshore jobs
    - you have been asked to transfer your knowledge to someone else
    - you do not have an employment guarantee
    - the employment guarantee you have is expiring