Does this count as the start of consultancy?

ALIBOBSY

OK OH has been through 1/2 a dozen restructures/job assesments and value for money reviews in the last 4 or 5 years (even before the recession really bit).
The Christmas before last he had to interview for his own job. At the same time he actually expressed an interest in voluntary redundancy, party due to managers attitudes to staff at work and the stress of so many long drawn out assesments. He decided to take the big payout then and look for work elsewhere (he is a skilled, very experienced and qualified IT engineer and felt he could secure work elsewhere, it would just involve more travel-this job is based just 15 mins from home).
Ok so the assessment goes ahead we all worry and stress for months and finally on CHRISTMAS EVE he is told his VR was turned down and they want him to stay.

So to now a couple of other staff left during that review(and another has since resigned), they are now down to a very small number of staff and work flat out all day, but given the recession we were worried about taking the leap to move jobs without the redundancy cushion so he stayed where he was. After hearing rumours for weeks ( and the job for a junior member of staff that was advertised was withdrawn and cancelled) the 4 of them left on the IT support section were called in to see the manager and head of HR today.

There were all told the same thing but it is very wishy washy. There will LIKELY be a restructure of some kind, there may or may not be redundancies, there may or may not be Vol red packages available. No dates could be given even when asked just IF it happens it will be SOON. No criteria for selection, nothing could be given, nothing specific at all. They all said there was a lot shifty looks between the managers when questions were asked.

They have pretty good contracts and all of them have done 10 years or more (OH 12), they have previously been told that if there are redundancies the type of work they do is classed as "high risk" so they would be sent home immediately on garden leave. So we are wondering if the decision has already been made, but they don't want to say as someone has to do the work for now. There has long been rumours of outsourcing the whole dept, the big boss of their dept has taken early retirement and leaves in March already, so things don't look good really.

So the question is without any written notification and such wishy washy information can they class this as the start of consulatation. They wouldn't even confirm if the restructure was to save money, but they were all asked for efficiency ideas by Friday (plenty of time then lol). We are stuck now, does he hang on for a possible payout or try to find work elsewhere now(he is already unhappy there).
Argggh, I know not much info I can get, but just wanted a moan more than anything, baby 4 on the way in May and I am on a carrear break so this our only income.

ali x

getmore4less

Depends on the redundancy terms he will get.
12 years with an enhanced package might be a good wedge.

12 weeks notice is fair amount to start and if they can hold out till April it will be in the next tax year .

If outsourced there could be a TUPE transfer.

I would probably start the process, get the CV upto date decide which agencies you want to use, find out if there are any organisations localy that provide support, be ready to claim JSA.

ALIBOBSY

OH is trying to be positive, he got a rough calc of his redundancy plus it looks like he would get the 12 weeks as "garden leave" as all those who have been made redundant in the past few years have (they are paranoid about someone "out for revenge"), so if he doesn't either keep his job or like you say perhaps get a tupe transfer he should get a reasonable amount plus 3 months paid at home looking for work.
He has been updating his CV so all in all if the worst happens we have a cushion and like he says maybe he will end up in a job he is happier in anyway.

The only down side is he is unlikely to get a job as close to home and will likely need to travel so having less time at home with the kids, but he has been lucky so far, and most people have to deal with a commute (and he has done it before).

Just a case of waiting things out really.

ali x

getmore4less

Does he have any idea who might get the outsouce?

Redundancy with a new job option might be viable without a TUPE.

Depends on age service and pay because you reset the service if you get a payout and risk a lower stat payout if a company goes bust.

ALIBOBSY

At the moment everything is still up in the air, bosses don't seem to want to give any definate details at the mo.
Being in IT he has worked for various companies (public and private) so I suppose ideal for us would be redundancy and then a new job with the outsource.

Just frustrating till we get more info.

Ali x

ALIBOBSY

OK lots of coming and going with finance staff and HR staff to bosses office (they have been trying to sneak around the back corridor instead of walking through the main part of the office so something going on).

No one knows anything at the mo, very cloak and dagger which is annoying. It is so unfair not giving people any kind of timescale, at least it would help if they were told they would get an update by a certain time, but they won't say. Given that all the people effected have young families makes it even more cruel.

As they are so cagey-where in the past when there has been restructures they have at least given some sort of timescales and kept them all updated, we are begining to think redundancy is definately on the cards.

ali x

ALIBOBSY

getmore4less wrote: »

Depends on the redundancy terms he will get.
12 years with an enhanced package might be a good wedge.

12 weeks notice is fair amount to start and if they can hold out till April it will be in the next tax year .

If outsourced there could be a TUPE transfer.

I would probably start the process, get the CV upto date decide which agencies you want to use, find out if there are any organisations localy that provide support, be ready to claim JSA.

Wondering about the April business as the big boss is retiring early at end of March and I suspect any outsource would likely have a april to april contract.
A new boss has been confirmed but they will be covering a number of depts not just IT, suggesting the IT part will be less work perhaps?

ali x