Many employees suffer from what I refer to as the “Ostrich Syndrome.” That is, whenever a problem arises at work their first instinct is to bury their head in the sand and pretend like nothing is wrong. The hope is that if they keep their head down long enough the problem will blow over.
In most cases that is the wrong approach. By doing nothing you may delay the inevitable termination by a few weeks or longer, but in doing so you will miss an opportunity to act proactively to protect your compensation and career.
Generally, the best approach, is to determine whether your job is truly in jeopardy and then deal with it head on. The first step in any such strategy is to immediately begin looking for a new job. The next step is to negotiate an exit.
Many of my clients who took a proactive approach were able to not only find new employment before being terminated, but were also able to negotiate a separation payout, thereby giving them a windfall.