The Great 'What to do in the event of redundancy' Hunt

c_telling

I have been put on notice that I am going to be made redundant in four weeks time. This was a complete shock and I am struggling to work out what my options are and need some real practical help from you savers out there.

i am a female chartered building surveyor with 10 years experience but I really don't want to stay in the industry as I am fed up of the "boys club atitudes". I want to go into education but need to know what help I can get to train.

I just supported my husband through university for four years and so we have some quite significant debts despite working to keep them down, I do have mortgage protection and the pay out will be good but it won't last long (8 months at the most).

Any advice or tips people?

CT

burnt_toast_3

My situation is a bit different...

The company I work for directly has lost a big contract. The work is being insourced. I have been with my company directly for 8 years and have spent about 99% of my time working on that project.

This leads to a Tupe situation.

The company I was due to Tupe to dont see this as a Tupe situation but have instead now offered an "Enhanced" redundancy with a clause that we cannot be re-employed by my previous employers either directly or indirectly through a contracting company.

So we have a situation where if we dont accept the enhanced redundancy, we wont be technically redundant, and nor will we get any wages.

This would lead to an employment tribunal, but we have been told that could take ages - with no income and no guaranteed favourable verdict.

If we take the enhanced redundancy, will we be at a disadvantage re:benefits?

How can an agreement stipulate that I cant be re-engaged by my ex employers?

What sort of payout (and how long would it take) if this went to court?

Any Ideas?

Philmustsave

Hi Guys,

I have just found out that I am being considered for redundancy, but in reality I know that I AM being made redundant.
This thread has provided me with loads of good advice and I am starting my job hunt immediately.

However there is one point that hasn't really been covered in this thread (although it was touched on) and that is what I should do about my debts.
I don't have any Insurance covering my Mortgage and Loan, however I do have some savings which will help.

Is it a good idea to tell the Mortgage lender (Alliance & Leicester) and the bank who gave me the loan (Lloyds) that I will be made redundant in the new year?
I am considering asking them if I can take a payment holiday, change to an interest only mortgage or make reduced payments - but will this trigger a negative mark against my name on my credit score?
I have already decided not to tell my CC company because I can imagine them not allowing me to spend any money on my card (and I see my CC being very useful for shopping etc if it takes a while to get another job).

I also have a mortgage on an apartment in Nottingham that I rent out and although this is covered by the rent my current tenants are moving out in January - what great timing!
If you know anyone looking for a property in the Nottingham/Derby area please point them to the above website - it would be a real help.

Any advice or help would be much appreciated.

Thanks a lot.

MrClean_2

Hi
I've just been made redundant. along with the rest of my colleagues, as my employer has gone in to administration.

One thing you notice is the speed at which things happen. We knew the economy was taking its toll, but we seemed to be surviving and had recently completed an order that looked as though it would take us in the right direction.

I have been as proactive as possible and hit the ground running. I have filled in the required forms and contacted everyone neccessary. I feel reasonably upbeat, but then again it has only been a few days, and I am treating this as an opportunity rather than a crisis.

sparklylime

I've been made redundant twice now but each time (thankfully!) I have been able to secure a job ready to start in the week that my old employer has closed. My tips to anyone facing redundancy would be:

Make full use of your HR department. Ask if they can look through your CV and give you pointers for improvements. It really helps to get another persons perspective, especially as the HR department will be used to seeing many CVs. Some will even do mock-interviews etc if you ask.

Make sure you know your employment rights. ACAS is a great place to start. I don't always trust my employer to tell me what I'm entitled to so I make sure I'm always up to date with current employment legislation.

Try to stay positive! I've been there myself and I know it can be difficult, but a little humour goes a long way in lifting your spirits

Apply for anything! I've been really lucky in finding new jobs but each time, as soon as I've been told about my impending redundancy, I hav began a frantic job search. So I ended up in a cr*ppy job a couple of positions lower than my previous role but it's better than nothing.

As terrible as it seems, remember that things will get better and that there are always people a lot worse off than you. I know its cliched but I keep telling myself this and it makes me feel better!!

Good luck to you all

squirrelchops

Hi all,

Unfortunately my OH was made redundant last year, June 2008, with the company he worked for going into administration.

Fortunately over the years he had done a lot of contract work so although made redundant at 2pm he had a job lined up by 330pm for the next 3 months should he want it. he didn't but was able to use the time to job hunt and has been in a permanent position since Sept 2008.

However, the company he used to work for is being taken to court. Something to do with not following the right procedures when the company went into administration e, not keeping the workforce informed etc. I don't really understand it all.

Does anyone and could you give me some pointers as to what it is about?????????

Spirit_2

squirrelchops there are specific consultation requirements on redundancy, the following link will help with it all; if your OH's previous employer did not follow the procedure your OH may be entitled to compensation.



http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/employment/employment-legislation/employment-guidance/page13852.html

guyandzoe

If you are under threat of redundancy or have been made redundant then go and seek proper advice. I cant stress that enough. There is also loads of advice on the web. But stick first to the likes of ACAS, BERR, CAB because a lot of other sites, blogs etc do not tell the whole story or are out of date or plain wrong.

My wife was made 'redundant' in sept 08. The employer did not pay her holiday pay. So for a sum of about £300 quid she sent a grievance to the then ex employer which was ignored and has been ever since. Upshot is that the employer now faces claims at the employment tribunal of automatically unfair dismissal, actual unfair dismissal, failure to issue statement of employment particulars, breach of working time regs by not paying holidays, failure to issue a statement of reasons for dismissal after a request. The employer has been so unreasonable in her response she also faces paying all of the time spent on the case. So from a £300 claim my wife is now expected to receive nearer £5000.

And all because we took advice. TAKE ADVICE as soon as possible.

pennypinchUK

As a former HR bod, I've the dubious distinction of having made thousands of people redundant - having worked for 20 years in marginal and loss making companies time and time again I had to sit people down and break the news to them. Here are some random thoughts from my experience.

1. It's not personal. Companies, especially now, are having to make tough decisions about staffing every day. Yes, occasionally companies use redundancy as a cover to get rid of a trouble maker but it's rare. And redundancy selection processes (that companies have to use by law) make it less likely it will happen.

2. If you're made redundant, you WILL go through a roller-coaster of emotions - firstly anger, then defiance, followed by excessive optimism, closely followed by depression. Only after you've been through these emotions will you slowly climb the emotional ladder back up to a positive frame of mind.

3. The best way to stay optimistic is to stay busy. If you're not going to retire and need to look for a new job, treat the job hunt as a job in itself. That means, get up at your normal time, go to your "office" in your house where you've got a phone, files and somewhere quiet to sit. Break for an hour lunch and "leave" at your normal time. I even know some people who put a suit on during the day, so they feel professional.

4. 80% of jobs that are gained after redundancy are gained through personal contacts - yes, 80%! Not agencies, the web or adverts in the paper. So make a list of everyone you know, even vaguely and make a plan to contact them. This is the "unadvertised job market". Some consultants who are after a wedge of your redundancy money claim there's a "secret source" of jobs out there. Poppycock. Call the people you know, and tell them you've been made redundant and ASK FOR THEIR ADVICE if they know anyone you should contact who can help you. Do not ask them directly for a job, that's embarrassing for everyone. People are flattered if you ask for their advice and they're far more likely to want to help. This is a big subject in itself and there are careers manuals etc. out there specifically to help.

5. However, don't ignore agencies, the web or newspaper adverts. The mistake many people make is simply to use these, and not 4 above. Just make sure you use your time proportionally more talking to your contacts. Why? Well, apart from the fact that you've got an 80% chance of getting a new job through your contacts and only a 20% chance via other means, if you get a job through your contacts you're almost certain to be the only person going for the job. If you apply for a job through a newspaper advert you may well be one of hundreds.

6. Back to the redundancy meeting, ask for the 1st £30K to be tax free. If your Contract of Employment doesn't mention payments that would be due in the event of redundancy you should be able to get this tax break. Some employers (especially smaller ones without an HR department) don't know about this.

7. You may be able to get your employer to pay a part of your redundancy payment in to your pension scheme. Take pensions advice.

8. Speak to your Citizens Advice Bureau. Most have employment law specialists who you can talk to.

There's so much more, but one final thought for now. Of the thousands of people who I've let go, I am fortunate to have kept in contact with many of them for a while afterwards (some have become friends, rather strangely!). And I only know of 3 people who, in the end, have regretted being made redundant. The vast majority eventually saw redundancy as an opportunity to make a clean break, get a new career, relocate or get out of a rut.

Oh, and I've made myself redundant twice, so I know what it's like from both sides of the table!

DaveW007

I was made redundant on 2nd January 2009. The company I worked for had been having a few financial problems and very few staff had been paid in full their wages for December.

We were told we were being made redundant at 12.00 on 2nd January. Not given any notice or when we would be paid the remainder of our December wages. We were not advised if we would be paid for the 1.2 day we had all worked on 2nd January either.

Our company had been sold to a larger company based a 2 hour drive away making it not possible to commute.

Any advice with regard to outstanding wages or redundancy etc would be appreciated.

I have managed to get another job but don't start until the end of next month so there is light at the end of the tunnel.