2 Weeks into new job I'm facing redundancy

Peddeh · 10 June 2018 at 2:04PM

Hi all,

I started my new job last week (full-time, perm), only to be told this week by HR that my job is at risk of redundancy, due to restructuring (basically we're the smallest regional office, and they want to get rid of us for savings). The proposed termination is said to be early July.

As of yet, no one has been able to give me a response as to why I was even recruited/hired just to be made redundant and I plan to chase this up in my first consultation meeting next week.

My question really is, what rights do I have? I know I won't be entitled to any redundancy pay and I don't expect any. I just want re-assurance I'll be treated like any other employee throughout the consultation period and the information I've found online isn't all that helpful for people in my predicament.

Honestly if it wasn't for me needing a wage at the end of the month, I'd have walked already - that and potentially having to go back on JSA (shudder...) and for that I'll need redundancy status.

On the bright side, I've interviews lined up for other opportunities and if I'm successful with any one of those, I'll be handing in my notice asap.

Any help is appreciated.

macman · 10 June 2018 at 2:23PM

Since you are presumably still in your probationary period, your rights are probably less than other employees in terms of notice period: check your contract. If they go down the redundancy route, then your rights should be the same. You don't qualify for redundancy payments until you have worked there for 2 years.
The office closure was probably determined higher up the food chain, and if you were recruited at the local office level then they may have had no idea that their own jobs were under threat.

Peddeh · 10 June 2018 at 3:02PM

My contract states in my probationary period I can be dismissed for basically any reason (as is standard) with 1 weeks notice. There's nothing to indicate I'd be treated differently during redundancy while still under probation. So I'm going to go on the presumption I'll be treated the same as every other employee.

lincroft1710 · 10 June 2018 at 3:20PM

Peddeh wrote: »

So I'm going to go on the presumption I'll be treated the same as every other employee.

Never presume. If an employer can legally treat one employee differently to others when it is to that employer's advantage, then that is what most employers would do.

sangie595 · 10 June 2018 at 4:19PM

lincroft1710 wrote: »

Never presume. If an employer can legally treat one employee differently to others when it is to that employer's advantage, then that is what most employers would do.

And they can. Under two years, there's no right to consultation, no right to be considered for alternative employment. Basically, not really any rights at all. Basically, your "rights" are only of any value when you can claim unfair dismissal. You can't, so unless they are in breach of contract, there is nothing you can do. People think that they get made redundant. Actually, there's no such thing. People get dismissed. Everyone gets dismissed. Redundancy is just a fair reason for dismissal. If you think about it like that, then you know where you stand.

tacpot12 · 10 June 2018 at 5:05PM

There is a lot of negativity in the previous posts. You may well be treated like all the other employees including being offered some redundancy money.

lincroft1710 · 10 June 2018 at 5:26PM

tacpot12 wrote: »

There is a lot of negativity in the previous posts. You may well be treated like all the other employees including being offered some redundancy money.

There's also a lot of fact in those posts. Why would an employer offer any redundancy money when they are not required to?

getmore4less · 10 June 2018 at 5:56PM

lincroft1710 wrote: »

There's also a lot of fact in those posts. Why would an employer offer any redundancy money when they are not required to?

One of my former employers offered a minimum of 4 weeks full pay redundancy and full PILON to everyone.

getmore4less · 10 June 2018 at 6:00PM

Peddeh wrote: »

As of yet, no one has been able to give me a response as to why I was even recruited/hired just to be made redundant and I plan to chase this up in my first consultation meeting next week..

Often it is a left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing or not being able to say or give wind there is something going on.

Higher up people are looking at the business but the lower downs carry on as normal.

Your little office needs someone so they recruit.

lincroft1710 · 10 June 2018 at 6:01PM

getmore4less wrote: »

One of my former employers offered a minimum of 4 weeks full pay redundancy and full PILON to everyone.

Name your employer, he deserves recognition as one of the more generous employers. But would he have given this to an employee with only 2 weeks service.

[Deleted User] · 10 June 2018 at 7:40PM

OP only needs 2 more weeks and then they will become due to be paid for notice.

https://www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk/en/articles/your-legal-rights-when-facing-redundancy#your-right-to-a-minimum-notice-period

My last redundancy was at three months, a week's notice was paid to everyone on the team. (we all started together) In additional I have heard of and it turned out I knew someone made redundant in their first week with a company - they also got notice payment.

At the moment I've a FTC on shaky grounds as not going to term, you can betcha getting answers is pretty difficult, even when in 5 days time 50% of my job is over, but simply because of the notice ramification and all the standard liners that go into a contract, I suspect, so a quite a frustrating time if ever I knew one when I would far rather know what is go to happen rather then maybe's and being forced into a secondment role I do not want or cannot do, aside from being yet again potential for being pushed into a further FTC.

2 Weeks into new job I'm facing redundancy

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