Money Moral Dilemma: Should my daughter return to work for the company that made her redundant?

RickyAH

It's not the person being made redundant, it's the job, so if it still exists then it wasn't redundancy. I know, as it has happened to me some years back, and I looked into it then.

Tim11111000111

Personally, I would insist on a significant pay rise rather than just matching her current salary. If the company has reached out, then I would say your daughter is in a strong position to negotiate.

I'm assuming she enjoyed the old job more than her current job? As otherwise she wouldn't even be considering it? If there is a better salary offer on the table, then certainly has some appeal. That said, there are some reasons to be cautious: the job/company may have changed under the new owners; the friends she has there might leave. She should also think long term - which job offers better progression prospects, either internally or giving skills and experiences that would look good on her CV to potential future employers?

As for the final part of the question, the short answer is not really - legally, she will be treated the same as any other new employee (AFAIK all relevant legislation only relates to periods of continuous employment, so the fact that she has worked there previously is irrelevant). If she's worried, this is another area she could look to negotiate more favourable terms in her contract (although it's normally much easier to negotiate salary than to amend the wording of other contract clauses).

tridoddytri

I would politely decline and thank them for the opportunity. Say you are settled in your current role. This way you burn no bridges and, who knows, you may want to return to them on the future.

SStitanic

The only responsibility she has is to herself. Has she weighed up her options to move ahead in each company for more salary a higher position, how soon could those be offered? She needs to think long term, if the old company now offers more advancement and in a shorter length of time then it could be worth it

lincroft1710

This is not a moral dilemma. It's a dilemma of what would be best for her. And only she can decide as she is in possession of all the facts whereas the Forum is only party to some

Annaf_2

That’s a definite no. She can see her friends from the other company outside of work, she doesn’t need to rejoin the previous company to do that. She’s settled where she is and they obviously value her because she’s had a pay rise. If she goes back to the other company I think she’d be waiting for the axe to fall, and I’m sure she’s better than that.

navinight

My own view is you never go back - you have changed/ the organisation has changed (in this case it has changed ownership) so it is not the same. Also you would be the newbie, so you would lose yrou continuity of service

mlz1413

My daughter was made redundant days before her probation ended....

.. is redundancy the correct term when you are in a probation period? Surely you would just be let go rather than part of a long process?

- the company was in financial crisis and let go of all the trainees.....

.. sounds more feasible that all trainees were let go.

She was devastated, but has since landed a better-paying job and is very settled there.….

... this is a very large positive factor.

Now her old company, which has new owners and says it's "doing very well", wants her back - and will match her current salary....

…New owners and financial improvement is great, but without details of why it was in crisis and has now pulled it back (time line unknown) is certainly something to question.

She's still sore from the redundancy, but loved the job and has friends there..…

.. if they let all of the trainees go, then how many friends are left there? Can daughter talk to the friends and ask how the company is?

Should she accept the offer? ... IMO no, new company clearly pays better and hasn't had financial issues or new owners.

And if she does and the same happens again, would she have any recourse?...

.. IMO absolutely none. depending on the contract signed/ negotiated she could well have to do another probation period and be expendable again.

bandanaman

Personally I would stay in the ew company BUT I would also let the new company know that she had been approached to leave / with a salary adjustment BUT SHE TURNED IT DOWN.

This will show loyalty to new employers and may result in a financial uplift as well.

General_Grant

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81980855#Comment_81980855

No tax implications in this scenario.