So in the last month a few people have been terminated, 2 were old hires, 1 was a new hire. I've not heard any official reason why this is happening, just hearsay from colleagues.
I'm relatively new to the company and I'm worried that my job might be at risk since recent hires are often the first to be laid off. Don't get me wrong, I'm doing well and I've exceeded expectations in my performance reviews but if the company is forced to downsize someone has got to go.
I understand that these employees' personal circumstances could have been the reason for their termination. But since I haven't been told anything, as far as I know, it could be because of structural or financial changes that might affect the whole company. Furthermore, it was a few people within a short period of time which I have not seen happen before at my company. Is it appropriate to ask why these people were terminated?