Been Made Redundant

diable

Was made redundant last week after being on gardening leave for a month and am finding it hard to motivate myself to look for work as I am enjoying not having to do anything after working for the last 30 years and being a layabout appeals to me.

My redundancy was ok so I have something to live off the next few months but have others in the same situation felt the same?

dave4545454

enjoy your time away from working, you've certainly earned it, nothing wrong with that

diable

dave4545454 wrote: »

enjoy your time away from working, you've certainly earned it, nothing wrong with that

Thanks, I just wish that it had happened in May so that I would have had the summer to look forward to instead of this dreary weather we have now.

golden_eagle

I'd say enjoy but be careful. I got made redundant Oct 08 and still haven't found a job in my profession and I have been trying even willing to relocate and take a substantial drop in salary etc. I don't know what your job is but I'd check at least with an agent what the market is like for someone with your experience as you don't want to be caught out short.

parallax_20

I was made redundant back in June this year. We were told 2 years prior of their intentions, so had plenty of time to save and plan ahead. I worked for over 12months without a proper holiday prior to redundancy, and when it happened I took my family on holiday to relax and wind down.

Like you, I had decent redundancy package to rely on for a good few months so wasn't in a rush to find a new job. But I knew how difficult the job market is at the moment with so much people out of work. Plus I had two mortgages and a family to support, so couldn't relax for too long.

I would say, keep looking, if something turns up great, if not enjoy your time off, but don't forget your financial commitments if it relies on your income.

Good luck.

Ada3050

What he said :j

dave4545454 wrote: »

enjoy your time away from working, you've certainly earned it, nothing wrong with that

RobertoMoir

Agree with Dave - maybe right now what you need to do is clear your mind and relax and hopefully you'll soon get your drive back. I'd also take something from Parallax and Golden Eagle's points too; unless you can afford to retire then you do need to be thinking about what to do next even if you are not ready to do it.

Perhaps you could volunteer somewhere for a few weeks to get you back into a slightly more work-orientated frame of mind? There are lots of places that could use volunteers at this time of year and maybe you'll enjoy helping others too?

diable

Thanks for the advice guys I have a two day course coming up for advising/helping getting back to work. I need to sort out my CV and motivate myself but I may also have a go at volunteering but I think I will leave job hunting until the new year I also am seriously thinking about a career change but not really sure on what I would like to do (rich woman's plaything maybe lol )

devils_advocate

The big difficulty in your sitution is when you do neither one thing nor the other. If you want a break but feel guity for not doing anything to find work, you're neither having a break nor doing anything constructive!

The best solution is to work out your own timetable in advance and then sticjk to it absolutely. If you say want to take the next week off, do so and don't feel guilty. But when you start 'work' again friom the next Monday morning, don't convince yourself that you have freedom so you'll do the grocery shopping at 3pm because its quieter. Do it 'outside' working hours.

It needs a disciplined approach - a lot of people who were used to the discipline of attending work, and working hard in that time, relax a bit too much when they feel they don't have to be disciplined.

Best of luck!

Donedoingdebt

I too am about to be made redundant on 25/01/10 after having worked continuously since 1976, albeit for several companies & like yourself OP, am looking forward to some down time.

However, my Wife, who works for the mental health sector of the NHS, has told me to be wary. Apparently, there are many people being treated for what started off as enjoying doing nothing, progressing to becoming de- motivated, onto mild & then sometimes, full blown depression & being unable to cope with returning to a disciplined work life regime.

Apologies for sounding negative & hopefully, you (& I) can enjoy a short time off work & then return ok when you're ready.

dickydonkin

Donedoingdebt wrote: »

I too am about to be made redundant on 25/01/10 after having worked continuously since 1976, albeit for several companies & like yourself OP, am looking forward to some down time.

However, my Wife, who works for the mental health sector of the NHS, has told me to be wary. Apparently, there are many people being treated for what started off as enjoying doing nothing, progressing to becoming de- motivated, onto mild & then sometimes, full blown depression & being unable to cope with returning to a disciplined work life regime.

Apologies for sounding negative & hopefully, you (& I) can enjoy a short time off work & then return ok when you're ready.

Absolutely!

It can be so easy to become demoralised.

No money coming in, job applications ignored - (that is when suitable jobs become available), a feeling of uselessness etc. can all compound the devastation of redundancy and I would imagine (as Donedoingdebt has highlighted) can easily escalate into depression, especially at this time of the year.

It is not a nice place to be.