Real life MMD: Should I take the redundancy money?

Thegirl

If you have a job offer in writting then take redundancy.
For your current employer you will be saving them making someone else redundant and/or the cost of recruiting someone else to cover your role.

ELSTOC

How is this a moral dilemma? You take the redundancy and have a job to go to. This stops someone else being made redundant who does not have a job to go to. You're being nice to your fellow employees and getting paid for it. Well done you.

I agree with some of the other posters that you should be sure of getting the new job first, but I can't see how your situation is any different from getting made redundant and *then* being offered a new job.

Please could someone explain what the moral dilemma is.

happyinflorida

If you want to leave and you're sure of the new job being offered to you or you are so desperate to leave that you don't care, then take it as you're saving someone else from being made redundant which is a big thing for someone else who might not be able to get another job and could end up losing their home if made redundant.

Tom_The_Stagman

I have been made redundant 14 times in my career, thus I would claim to have a valid view.
IF - big IF - you have the offer of another job - IN WRITING - and have accepted it -in writing - why are you waiting.
Go for the redundancy! NO brainer. It is also tax free up to £30k!!

pennypinchUK

A few home truths:
1. Good performance in your role does not necessarily mean you're "safe". If you meet the selection criteria you're at risk.
2. Once they've taken the decision to make redundancies, big companies, like yours, are often more interested in achieving their redundancy targets than keeping their good people. Don't expect them to pull out all the stops to keep you.
3. Tell your colleagues to butt out of it - it's none of their business whether you may be able to get a payout and walk in to a new job seamlessly. It happens all the time, and it's the smart people who take the chance, and the cash.
4. Yes, £2000 is £2000. But compared to your regular salary (which you reckon is safe to continue) it's not a vast amount to gamble with, and probably only represents a few weeks salary.
5. You've only got (at best, it's not clear) an indication you may be offered another job elsewhere. That's no way definite enough for you to even contemplate leaving on the basis you're suggesting - unless you're unhappy anyway, and you're sought after and determined to leave.

You need to have all the facts in hand before making a decision. Press the other company for a written offer of a job. If it's not forthcoming you may take the view they're not serious about employing you anyway.

custardy

inicholson wrote: »

I don't see this as much of a moral dilemma at all - if you're leaving anyway take the redundancy option. If you don't take it and then leave, the company will have to recruit a replacement for you when (ironically) they've just paid of someone else instead of you. By taking the money you save somebody else's job, save your employer the time and trouble of recruiting another employee and cost nobody anything - if you don't take the redundancy payment somebody else will.

However, it does look like a gamble - what if you accept the redundancy offer and then aren't offered the other job?

I would be wary until a firm offer is on the table
£2k is nothing with no income coming in

justruth

I agree, don't count your chickens! However when it comes to voluntery redundancy I can't imagine anyone who would volunteer unless they had some sort of back up plan, such as early retirement, training or other job to go to. It is expected that you will make a responsible decision for you. No HR department enjoys letting people go, so if you can go with a smile and no hard feelings, then it's all the better for them.

golddustmedia

The word "redundancy" stirs up a lot of emotion for many people.

Realistically it sounds like the company wants to reduce numbers and whatever you want to call it, redundancy, severance package etc basically they're offering people a payout to leave.

You want to leave so take the payout if thats what you want. On the other hand if you like the job keep it. Sometimes its not all about money!


Last year I had amazing luck, very depressed in a job I didn't enjoy and getting pushed around by the boss I made up my mind to go so started job hunting. I had an interview lined up but no actual job lined up and the company out of the blue offered me a package to leave, effectively firing me when they didn't really have any actual grounds to do so. The following week I aced the interview and got a much nicer job, less pay but better hours and benefits. Paid to improve my life, so very happy!

My view, if you want to go then let someone pay you to do it.

You'll save the company having to replace your position (recruitment costs are high!), you'll save one of your colleagues losing their job too! So if they're complaining you shouldn't accept the redundancy maybe they want to leave too?!

Barryfan

I'm with everyone else who says take the money, although I wouldn't volunteer until I was sure I had another job to go to. By taking voluntary redundancy you could be saving someone else's job. I wonder if your work colleague who says you shouldn't take it would do the same if he/she were in your shoes.

Lum

Make sure the new offer is concrete, then take the money.

Voluntary redundancy is basically the company offering you an incentive to go quietly and without creating fuss and hassle, helping them avoid compulsory redundancies.

Compulsory redundancies cause a lot more grief, they are obliged to explore all options for ways to keep you, such as redeploying you elsewhere in the business and offering retraining, they have to document that they have done this and prove that such opportunities do not exist. This needs to be able to stand up to scrutiny from unions and tribunals just in case someone decides to cause trouble.

The extra cash you get on most voluntary redundancies is likely a lot cheaper for the company than the cost of making someone compulsorily redundant and paying statutory redundancy. They don't just pay you extra money out of the goodness of their heart.

You gain money, they save money and hassle, someone else gets to keep their job, someone's manager gets to feel slightly better about themselves as they haven't had to force out someone who doesn't want to go.

Everybody wins...

...so long as you are sure you have a job to go to.