even if your manager swears your team is safe. even if the email says its just about "efficiency" and "new ways of working." even if youre a top performer. even if youve been there years. even if everyone around you is staying calm. even if it genuinely seems like its someone elses department in the firing line.
i got let go this week in exactly that kind of restructure, the one everyone told me wouldnt touch us. the quiet reassurances meant nothing the moment the numbers had to be hit.
a restructure means the people at the top have already decided the shape of the place has to change, and you finding out is the late part of a process that started months ago. by the time its announced, the decisions youd want a say in are mostly made. the reassurances are there to keep you working normally while they sort the details, not because youre safe.
so the day you hear the word restructure, dust off your cv, quietly start applying, and get your savings in order. you might not need it. but if you do nothing and hope, youll be the one blindsided in a meeting you didnt see coming. start moving while you still have the choice, because once the decision lands its no longer yours to make.