At "high risk" but unsure if employer has gone about things correctly.

19lottie82

I work for quite a large global company, but for a reasonably small branch of that company. I have been there 5 years.

They are currently getting rid of about 30% of their 104 members of staff.

Although my role doesn't have that term in it, I was told last week that I am being classed as "admin staff", along with 12 other members of staff, and that we were all at risk.

Myself and the other members of staff all have very different jobs, and it seems that they have classed us all as "admin" as we don't undertake manual or technical roles (I guess the simplest way to describe the sector would be "engineering"). We were told that our managers would be given a universal score sheet to complete for each "admin" employee, and using these scores 8/13 would be made redundant, and the remaining would form an "admin pool" who would be moved from department to department, as and when required.

Today I got informed that due to my low scoring I am now at "high risk", so basically, legalities (consultation meetings and the opportunity to appeal) aside, I will be going.

It all seems a bit odd. Surely if my role has been made redundant (which it has been, as it no longer appeared on the org chart during run up meetings), then I should be given the opportunity to actually apply for any new roles available, rather than be "scored" against other staff who are doing a completely different job to mine?

I have my first consultation meeting on Monday morning.

Any advice would be welcome.

Pushkin

Scoring it done to identify who is at risk and who isn't - the consultation meeting is the next step and then you have a set time period to search for alternative jobs internally.

You are also entitled to see the scoring they have done for you and request they justify it.

Having groups of employees with different jobs in the same pool is common - happens in my company all the time. It's how they group things together - not always logical but remember redundancy is all about cost reduction for the benefit or need of the company, and they need to create groups.

Good luck with it all.

19lottie82

Thanks Pushkin...... But there are alternative jobs available, but it doesn't look like they're going to give me the chance to apply for them. Is that legal?

p00hsticks

19lottie82 wrote: »

Thanks Pushkin...... But there are alternative jobs available, but it doesn't look like they're going to give me the chance to apply for them.

How do you know these jobs are available (are they being advertised internally or externally) ?

Who or what is stopping you from applying from them ?

19lottie82

p00hsticks wrote: »

How do you know these jobs are available (are they being advertised internally or externally) ?

Who or what is stopping you from applying from them ?

Because they company explained the process of the "admin pool" to us at the initial meeting when they told us we were at risk.

The new jobs are not advertised internally or externally. Whoever "scores" the highest automatically gets the jobs. There is no application process. That's what I am querying.

getmore4less

That's one correct way to do it.

Pool people that can all do all the jobs under the "admin" umbrella.

Score the pool keeping those at the top till you have enough.

There is no need to have any other selection process.

Some companies do it differently like pool people and have them all apply for the jobs available.


The consultation process is for you to make a case for keeping you(if you want), the scores are wrong, no one else can do my work, you will need more people etc.

19lottie82

getmore4less wrote: »

That's one correct way to do it.

Pool people that can all do all the jobs under the "admin" umbrella.

Score the pool keeping those at the top till you have enough.

There is no need to have any other selection process.

Some companies do it differently like pool people and have them all apply for the jobs available.


The consultation process is for you to make a case for keeping you(if you want), the scores are wrong, no one else can do my work, you will need more people etc.

Thanks GM4L. I am going to appeal, but I'm not holding my breath.

So basically, my question is..... Have my employers done anything wrong by making me redundant and letting me even apply for existing alternative roles?

elsien

Have you had the opportunity to look at the score sheet to see how they have reached your score?

19lottie82

Yes I have. I'm not concerned at this stage about disputing my score. I am just concerned if they should have given me the opportunity to apply for these roles rather than simply scoring me against others who do different jobs.

grimsalve

Sounds like a similar thing to what I'm going through at the moment - my role was moved into another team as part of a re-structure a couple of years ago, and now that team is being re-structured too so everyone in the team has been told their current roles are "at risk".

The new jobs are not really suitable for my skills and experience (other people in the team will be far more suitable - luck of the draw I guess) so the whole team have been interviewed and assessed which I guess is similar to the scoring system your employer uses?

lisyloo

I am going to appeal

I believe the only valid basis for an appeal if it you think the score is wrong e.g. you got a bad score for attendance but were never off.

Have my employers done anything wrong by making me redundant and letting me even apply for existing alternative roles?

I don't think they have.

I am going to appeal

What is the point in this?
Your employers have already decided who they want to keep.
Even if you could force them to interview you it's a bit pointless if theyve decided they want to keep others and not you.
Better to keep on good terms so you can get good references IMO, in fact I'd go as far as thanking them for treating you with dignity (it's pretty tough on the managers too).
Play the long game.