Redundant but still need me to do the job?

Cottage_Economy

Apologies for the length of this, but i didn't want to leave anything out that might be important. I'm in the middle of a consultation period for my job to be made redundant.

The company is in financial trouble and is cutting it back by half (around 11 jobs are to go). A big aspect of what the company does is under a licence and part of the cost-cutting measures involves handing back the licence to reduce the need for staff, which means that around 50% of my work during the year will go. The board has made the decision, not the Company's directors. They have been completely left out of the decision.

The board has decided with regard to the other 50% of my job that any new project work will be outsourced on an ad-hoc basis, although i actually bring in my own projects so no me means no new projects. The small amount of my work beyond this which is considered core to the company's mission will be divided among 4 new project managers, positions which have been created to help the company start operating in a new way. It has been made clear to me that bar finishing off any existing projects there will be no more work for me after 24th September when a new way of working is adopted.

The company i think is just going to go into a holding position until it can close down next March when the operating budget runs out and they use their reserve to shut down.

Anyway, I've had my main consultation meetings and my decision has been to go. The package is good and i have no regrets about my decision. The project management positions are not what i want to do and there are others far more well qualified to do them, so my dismissal meeting will be 24th September. However, i still have other projects to finish, and it looks likely that i will work part of my three months notice to around middle of November when the last project finishes. The nature of the projects means there may be periods of 1 and 2 weeks where the client is doing something and i'm not, but under the new way of working i will have no work to do during these periods.

However, my boss - a director- this morning commented that they would be able to find lots of my 'specialised' work for me to do to fill my time because as far as they we concerned it was integral to the company's continuing aims and the projects that would be done. That the director's didn't agree with the board and believed they had been too hasty, and that a board meeting on 6th September could see things change.

I am now completely confused.

It was made very clear to me - in writing and in front of witnesses - that there is no job of any kind for me after 24th September, yet now all of a sudden i may not be able to take any kind of PILON and work right up to Christmas because I'm still desperately needed.

I did say at the time - with a smile and a laugh to soften the comment a little - that if there was additional work to be done then the project managers will have to do it as it is part of their job description and why I'm being made redundant...

Any thoughts please?

On the one hand i understand that the board have made a decision and it does not fall in my favour. I'm a big girl and can deal with that. On the other hand, i can't keep going on being told I'm important to the future of the company and keep working 'business as usual' as if this isn't happening...

Is this simply a director being silly and operating in denial? I understand they can make me work all of my notice, but to have to do the work that apparently is not there any longer after 24th September is flipping galling to be frank.