Potential dismissal for no reason

peachsun

Hi All. Just looking for some advice about a situation I feel is potentially headed in my direction!

Quick bit of background, I've been in a new job for just over 2 months. Was headhunted by a boss I previously worked with who I would be reporting in to and sold a dream. Left my (stable, comfortable) old job. My probation is 3 months but even after probation my notice period is only a week (for my employer. I however have to give a month?!). Last week my boss, who recruited me, was let go on the grounds of failing their probation. I have since been left without a manager and scrabbling around for some direction. I feel the outcome of this is going to be negative despite not having any support or guidance, and not doing anything wrong. There are many whispers about restructures within the company and obviously it is easiest to get rid of everyone under 2 years so I'm fearful of what's to come. What I was wondering was how to respond to this if this does happen to me... I really don't want to have to explain a dismissal to a future employer so could I ask them to make me redundant instead? I'm not after a payout or anything it's just the potential semantics around a dismissal, which feels especially unfair when I haven't actually done anything wrong. I wondered if anybody had encountered this sort of situation before? 

Bradden

Sadly with less than 2 years service they are unlikely to offer redundancy as they can terminate your contract and pay your notice period. It's not dismissal as such though... I've been a similar situation and it wasn't a big deal to my next employer.

Marcon

Bradden said:

Sadly with less than 2 years service they are unlikely to offer redundancy as they can terminate your contract and pay your notice period. It's not dismissal as such though... I've been a similar situation and it wasn't a big deal to my next employer.

Of course it's a dismissal, whatever the grounds (including redundancy).

peachsun said:

Hi All. Just looking for some advice about a situation I feel is potentially headed in my direction!

Quick bit of background, I've been in a new job for just over 2 months. Was headhunted by a boss I previously worked with who I would be reporting in to and sold a dream. Left my (stable, comfortable) old job. My probation is 3 months but even after probation my notice period is only a week (for my employer. I however have to give a month?!). Last week my boss, who recruited me, was let go on the grounds of failing their probation. I have since been left without a manager and scrabbling around for some direction. I feel the outcome of this is going to be negative despite not having any support or guidance, and not doing anything wrong. There are many whispers about restructures within the company and obviously it is easiest to get rid of everyone under 2 years so I'm fearful of what's to come. What I was wondering was how to respond to this if this does happen to me... I really don't want to have to explain a dismissal to a future employer so could I ask them to make me redundant instead? I'm not after a payout or anything it's just the potential semantics around a dismissal, which feels especially unfair when I haven't actually done anything wrong. I wondered if anybody had encountered this sort of situation before? 

You could, but whether they will is another matter. As you say, it feels very unfair, but if your reason for leaving is 'company restructured two months after I joined and I was one of the people whose employment was terminated' it is unlikely to raise eyebrows with future employers.

tightauldgit

peachsun said:

Hi All. Just looking for some advice about a situation I feel is potentially headed in my direction!

Quick bit of background, I've been in a new job for just over 2 months. Was headhunted by a boss I previously worked with who I would be reporting in to and sold a dream. Left my (stable, comfortable) old job. My probation is 3 months but even after probation my notice period is only a week (for my employer. I however have to give a month?!). Last week my boss, who recruited me, was let go on the grounds of failing their probation. I have since been left without a manager and scrabbling around for some direction. I feel the outcome of this is going to be negative despite not having any support or guidance, and not doing anything wrong. There are many whispers about restructures within the company and obviously it is easiest to get rid of everyone under 2 years so I'm fearful of what's to come. What I was wondering was how to respond to this if this does happen to me... I really don't want to have to explain a dismissal to a future employer so could I ask them to make me redundant instead? I'm not after a payout or anything it's just the potential semantics around a dismissal, which feels especially unfair when I haven't actually done anything wrong. I wondered if anybody had encountered this sort of situation before? 

You can ask but I don't know why any company would agree to it. You're still in your probation period so they can terminate you at any point they like and be done with it. 

DullGreyGuy

tightauldgit said:

peachsun said:

Hi All. Just looking for some advice about a situation I feel is potentially headed in my direction!

Quick bit of background, I've been in a new job for just over 2 months. Was headhunted by a boss I previously worked with who I would be reporting in to and sold a dream. Left my (stable, comfortable) old job. My probation is 3 months but even after probation my notice period is only a week (for my employer. I however have to give a month?!). Last week my boss, who recruited me, was let go on the grounds of failing their probation. I have since been left without a manager and scrabbling around for some direction. I feel the outcome of this is going to be negative despite not having any support or guidance, and not doing anything wrong. There are many whispers about restructures within the company and obviously it is easiest to get rid of everyone under 2 years so I'm fearful of what's to come. What I was wondering was how to respond to this if this does happen to me... I really don't want to have to explain a dismissal to a future employer so could I ask them to make me redundant instead? I'm not after a payout or anything it's just the potential semantics around a dismissal, which feels especially unfair when I haven't actually done anything wrong. I wondered if anybody had encountered this sort of situation before? 

You can ask but I don't know why any company would agree to it. You're still in your probation period so they can terminate you at any point they like and be done with it. 

Probationary period is an irrelevance, you can be dismissed without cause for the first 2 years of your employment (exc protected characteristics).

Personally, I'd be speaking to HR or my former boss' boss to find out who I now report into and work on building that relationship. Beyond that it really depends on what you do for a living, how easy it is to do without managerial support and if theres a continued need for it without your boss... was he one of a few or was he a new hire for a new venture etc and so may be the end of that not just his job.

Strummer22

If you don't think you'll be happy staying at this job, could you go back to your old job? They may not have even managed to fill your old position yet. Just explain that the new job is not what you expected. If they are a good employer they would hopefully not make a big deal out of it - unless you burnt some bridges when you left!

peachsun

DullGreyGuy said:

tightauldgit said:

peachsun said:

Hi All. Just looking for some advice about a situation I feel is potentially headed in my direction!

Quick bit of background, I've been in a new job for just over 2 months. Was headhunted by a boss I previously worked with who I would be reporting in to and sold a dream. Left my (stable, comfortable) old job. My probation is 3 months but even after probation my notice period is only a week (for my employer. I however have to give a month?!). Last week my boss, who recruited me, was let go on the grounds of failing their probation. I have since been left without a manager and scrabbling around for some direction. I feel the outcome of this is going to be negative despite not having any support or guidance, and not doing anything wrong. There are many whispers about restructures within the company and obviously it is easiest to get rid of everyone under 2 years so I'm fearful of what's to come. What I was wondering was how to respond to this if this does happen to me... I really don't want to have to explain a dismissal to a future employer so could I ask them to make me redundant instead? I'm not after a payout or anything it's just the potential semantics around a dismissal, which feels especially unfair when I haven't actually done anything wrong. I wondered if anybody had encountered this sort of situation before? 

You can ask but I don't know why any company would agree to it. You're still in your probation period so they can terminate you at any point they like and be done with it. 

Probationary period is an irrelevance, you can be dismissed without cause for the first 2 years of your employment (exc protected characteristics).

Personally, I'd be speaking to HR or my former boss' boss to find out who I now report into and work on building that relationship. Beyond that it really depends on what you do for a living, how easy it is to do without managerial support and if theres a continued need for it without your boss... was he one of a few or was he a new hire for a new venture etc and so may be the end of that not just his job.

Thanks, I do technically have a line manager now (by proxy) but they are extremely difficult to pin down and not offering anything in terms of strategy/direction. I think they have other focusses and sense there is a bigger picture here. A lot of my other colleagues are feeling it too. Unfortunately this is a new department, was headed up by my former boss so not looking too good...

DullGreyGuy

peachsun said:

DullGreyGuy said:

tightauldgit said:

peachsun said:

Hi All. Just looking for some advice about a situation I feel is potentially headed in my direction!

Quick bit of background, I've been in a new job for just over 2 months. Was headhunted by a boss I previously worked with who I would be reporting in to and sold a dream. Left my (stable, comfortable) old job. My probation is 3 months but even after probation my notice period is only a week (for my employer. I however have to give a month?!). Last week my boss, who recruited me, was let go on the grounds of failing their probation. I have since been left without a manager and scrabbling around for some direction. I feel the outcome of this is going to be negative despite not having any support or guidance, and not doing anything wrong. There are many whispers about restructures within the company and obviously it is easiest to get rid of everyone under 2 years so I'm fearful of what's to come. What I was wondering was how to respond to this if this does happen to me... I really don't want to have to explain a dismissal to a future employer so could I ask them to make me redundant instead? I'm not after a payout or anything it's just the potential semantics around a dismissal, which feels especially unfair when I haven't actually done anything wrong. I wondered if anybody had encountered this sort of situation before? 

You can ask but I don't know why any company would agree to it. You're still in your probation period so they can terminate you at any point they like and be done with it. 

Probationary period is an irrelevance, you can be dismissed without cause for the first 2 years of your employment (exc protected characteristics).

Personally, I'd be speaking to HR or my former boss' boss to find out who I now report into and work on building that relationship. Beyond that it really depends on what you do for a living, how easy it is to do without managerial support and if theres a continued need for it without your boss... was he one of a few or was he a new hire for a new venture etc and so may be the end of that not just his job.

Thanks, I do technically have a line manager now (by proxy) but they are extremely difficult to pin down and not offering anything in terms of strategy/direction. I think they have other focusses and sense there is a bigger picture here. A lot of my other colleagues are feeling it too. Unfortunately this is a new department, was headed up by my former boss so not looking too good...

I had something similar once other than our MD died rather than was fired. Shortly before his death we presented to the Board a proposal which basically ripped into on of the other MD's divisions saying how inefficiently it was being run impacting both top and bottom line and that half of his world should move into our newly formed division.

After a couple of weeks we were told our division was being put under the temporary management of the other MD that we'd been critical of... needless to say the writing was on the wall but it took them 3 months to decide during which time we were told not to work on the old projects as he saw no value in them (and didnt replace them) and then let us all go with 1 months notice (CiL) and 1 months ex gratis redundancy. By this time we'd all lined up other jobs other than one guy.

Obviously it doesnt have to go that way, seeing as you do have a manager you ultimately need to try and engage with them, whilst appreciating its probably all change for them too. No harm in speaking to your ex-employers and likewise see what other jobs are out there. Always best to have a few plates spinning.

goater78

I wouldn’t worry about explaining your dismissal. Just tell the truth which is you were headhunted by someone to join the organisation and unfortunately that person was dismissed which meant your role was no longer required. It’s not really anything that reflects badly on you. 

General_Grant

Look on it as an opportunity.
If the work you are doing is actually worthwhile, demonstrate your ability to get it done.

tacpot12

The best thing you can do is start doing your boss' job. Don't worry about pay or asking permission, just get on with running the new department. If you aren't sure about the strategy/direction you should be driving in, talk to your old boss. Look on this as a great opportunity to try your hand at the next level of management, without have the formal responsibilities that come with it.