{
  "id": 7798637,
  "title": "Drohender Jobverlust: Vorsicht, Falle! Wie Führungskräfte ihre schleichende Degradierung erkennen – und gegensteuern",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/drohender-jobverlust-vorsicht-falle-wie-fuhrungskrafte-ihre",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-09-16T13:43:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/karriere/kuendigung-welche-warnzeichen-den-jobverlust-ankuendigen-01/100173417.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "Heads up: Beware, your job may disappear! How executives recognize their gradual degradation – and counteract it\n\nManagers are suddenly deprived of important decisions, and their personnel and budget are withdrawn. At this point, they should realize that their job is in danger. Degradation and demotivation – \"such attacks by employers should drive a manager to accept a termination contract and leave the company as quickly as possible,\" says Christoph Abeln. The Berlin-based labor law attorney primarily represents executives in legal disputes. Companies avoid high severance payments and increasingly resort to unattractive methods to get executive talent out of the door. And \"the most dangerous form of this is invisible,\" says the jurist. Instead of public degradation and humiliation, there is a covert disempowerment that on the surface may even look like a promotion or reward. In his book \"From Career Gap to Comeback,\" Abeln compiled the most common termination tricks used by employers – and tips on how to defend oneself. Jurist and head of the Association of Special and Executive Personnel (DFK), Nils Schmidt, confirms the high relevance of the topic. \"Almost daily, we deal with long-serving executives from all industries who are surreptitiously pushed out of the company,\" Schmidt says. The two labor attorneys explain how to recognize a gradual dismissal and what countermeasures to take. Warning Signal 1: Promotion to CEO A long-serving department head, who has been working for a company for nearly 30 years, is thrilled when he is promoted to CEO. Finally, his career's crowning moment. A new title, more prestige – and a contract he gladly signed. Danger: With the promotion, his dismissal protection ended. The new contract replaced all previous rights. \"CEO are not classic employees,\" says jurist Abeln, who represented the case. \"They can be fired at any time, have no claim to bonuses or severance.\" Three months after his appointment as CEO, the termination followed – without notice. Countermeasure: Before accepting the new CEO contract, not only check compensation arrangements, but also secure safeguards. DFK attorney Schmidt advises: \"Best not to give up the old employment contract, but agree to keep it on standstill.\" If the appointment is revoked or the CEO contract is terminated, this original contract resumes. Alternatively, special dismissal protection, a return clause, and a severance payment in case of dismissal should be agreed upon in the new CEO contract. Whatever the case, the lawyers agree: \"If the employer resists, it is a sign that it is not about a promotion, but about dismantling dismissal protection.\" Warning Signal 2: New Dual CEO An experienced department head in investment banking is suddenly given a co-manager alongside him at the age of 40. This equally ranked executive resembles the former managing director in terms of professional history and age. Danger: Shared responsibility? How modern! Reaction could be complacency. \"Such a dual CEO is not always a caring gesture from the employer, but serves a gradual disempowerment,\" says jurist Schmidt. Caution is advised when the new co-chief directly reports to the common supervisor. \"This is a popular way to initiate dismantling,\" Abeln adds. For the employer, it is a popular way to observe who performs better. Schmidt explains that the employee may find themselves in a power vacuum, with decreased competence overlaps and intense internal competition. The consequences can be grave: Losing the hidden competition usually means being let go. In Abeln's case at the bank, the original department head eventually felt unnecessary and was asked to accept a contract termination. Countermeasure: \"Do not accept the installation of a dual CEO reactively,\" Abeln advises. He recommends securing contract employment in writing and establishing a clear demarcation of the responsibilities of both co-CEOs. \"Also confirm that your reporting line – perhaps to the board – remains unchanged.\" For added safety, the manager should document any further developments. A chronological record is important in case of a court dispute, including who took away which responsibilities from whom, which meetings they were excluded from, and what instructions they received. Documenting the full extent of their disempowerment strengthens their position, according to the attorney. Judges considered this so-called \"life fact\" when making their decision. Warning Signal 3: Relocation Abroad A 60-year-old department head in the technology sector is informed by the production manager that he will be transferred to Mumbai. The engineer, who has worked for 25 years in the company's German headquarters, sees both the surprise and the appeal of working in India to secure German quality standards in manufacturing. Danger: \"Behind the relocation to abroad after the age of 50, all too often, there lurks elegant packaging of disempowerment,\" says Schmidt, who frequently advises such cases. If the manager agrees, they are likely to experience a position being replaced during their absence without prior notice. \"If they rely on the employer still having use for them upon their return, they risk unemployment.\" Countermeasure: Only agree to the relocation if you are willing to accept it.",
  "summary": "Wenn Arbeitgeber unliebsame Manager ohne hohe Abfindungen loswerden wollen, greifen sie oft zu Tricks. Die wichtigsten Warnsignale und juristischen Gegenmaßnahmen.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}