How's the weather out there? Keep an eye on the horizon
Keep up with what is happening in your company, your field, and the economy, so a layoff announcement won't surprise you. If you're not in sales or near the customer, be sure you're talking with people outside your group who are. "I can't tell you how many executives I've dealt with who not only didn't read the writing on the wall, they didn't even see the wall," said Sharon Jordan-Evans, founder and president of the Jordan-Evans Group, a workplace consulting and executive coaching firm based in Southern California.

When you sense layoffs are coming, consider volunteering to leave. "The first lifeboat off is always the most luxurious, especially if the organization hasn't had layoffs before," said Jim Freedman, regional director New England for the American Management Association.

Want to stay? Avoid these pink slip-ups
It pays to keep relationships with your boss and those higher up in good repair, advises John Challenger, CEO of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, an international outplacement firm. "Don't brown-nose, but time and time again I've seen middling performers who have always gotten along well - and you can't cut 'em." 

Nurture relationships with peers or subordinates. A reputation with these groups for what Jordan-Evans calls "jerk-like" behaviors could earn you a spot on the layoff list if the decision is close. If you routinely belittle coworkers, take credit for work you didn't do, or subject colleagues to unreliable moods, you're more at risk for layoff. Find out how you're viewed and manage your reputation. Surprise - often, peers are the toughest audience.

Take part in office rituals important to higher-ups. One senior executive thought back over the company birthday parties and lunches he'd failed to attend, saying he had work to do. Who stayed after the cuts were made? That entire birthday party guest list. So RSVP today.

Consider the boss, as well. Instead of hiding while rumors fly, show your manager you can think big picture, suggests Karen Liuzzo, director of counseling services for Boston-based Career Strategies, Inc. Presenting carefully thought-out ideas about what talent might be needed and how your part of the organization could look can position you as someone the organization wants to keep.

Whatever you do, don't call a private meeting and demand to know if you'll be laid off. It just puts the boss in a corner and sets up a confrontation. "Managers hate that," said Kevin Hand, president of Hand & Associates, a management consulting firm with offices in Los Angeles, Calif., New York, N.Y., and Atlanta, Ga.

Finally, focus on intangibles. You're much easier to keep if your enthusiasm level is high. While nervous groups gather at the water cooler to discuss layoff rumors, work hard and show you're a can-do person. "The biggest mistake people make is to focus on negativity and just stop working," said Hand. If you can't show you bring something to the table, you may lose your chair.

Why should we keep you? Show what you've done for them lately
Check your metrics. Try to close deals, bring in new customers, or cut costs. You might consider volunteering for assignments that involve more travel. "Just make sure your boss can connect the dots between you and the money the company's making," Freedman said. Double-check that the numbers you're putting up are the ones the company values.

Keep tabs on your performance evaluations, even if they're not directly tied to merit bonuses or don't seem important. Pieces of paper can come back to haunt you. "Nine times out of 10, employers use those to rank employees when they're preparing for an RIF (reduction in force)," said Heather Gatley, senior partner and vice-chair of the labor and employment practice at the Florida-based law firm of Steel, Hector & Davis.

Staying on top of your field will also serve you well during tough times. Jordan-Evans advises employees to develop their personal "unique selling proposition," a description of the value they add that not many others can. Fulfilling your commitments on time and making sure others know what you do for the company goes a long way to making you indispensable.

Guess what? Some enterprising employees try to muddy the waters
Some employees have tried to avoid layoffs by capitalizing on opportunities - of a sort. Countering news of layoffs with the announcement of a genuine pregnancy, issuing a well-timed request for information about the company's sexual harassment policy, and staging highly visible workplace celebrations of 40^th birthdays are all hallway stories. The rationale behind such maneuvers is that companies do not want to give employees a cause of action to sue for harassment or discrimination. And for some, it's always a dark and stormy night at the office as they compete to melt the boss's heart with heart-wrenching personal stories.

At least one senior executive thought strategically. He timed a leave of absence to coincide with layoffs, thus sidestepping them entirely. When the executive returned six months later, the company's prospects had brightened. So had his.

You got a few minutes? Be mentally prepared for that dreaded pink slip
If your employer cuts deep and hard, you may be laid off despite your best efforts. Think through what you'll do. Negotiating a severance agreement that is fair and equitable to both parties is an important part of that process.