REDUNDANCY -
HINTS & TIPS

REDUNDANCY – HINTS & TIPS

Redundancy can be one of the hardest things you face in life and how everyone reacts is different and entirely normal. It can create a psychological response similar to bereavement triggering emotions ranging from shock and denial to anger and fear.  Often the biggest fear faced by people who experience redundancy is the fear of financial difficulties.  The other fear that sometimes surfaces is a loss of identity and a feeling of rejection and embarrassment.

Whilst there is a lot of information available on line about the process that will be followed, there’s very little that gives practical hints and tips on what to do aside from looking for another job.

Don’t Take It Personally

 It can be very difficult to depersonalise the decision to eliminate your position but It’s worth remembering that it’s the position that is redundant, not the jobholder and a company must have identified a lawful reason for that redundancy which does not include anything directly related to the occupant or their ability.   Redundancy is now common in the modern workplace and its unfortunate that hundred of thousands of people are made redundant every year in the UK for a variety of business reasonincluding;

• the job you do or the service you provide is no longer required or will not exist in the company
• your employer is looking to cut costs and has made a business decision to eliminate certain jobs
• the business is closing down or moving site

If you focus on these principles, its often easier to accept and to depersonalise the decision. The important thing is not that your job has become redundant, but how you deal with losing your job and plan to get yourself back on your feet. It’s unlikely that a future employer will raise an eyebrow when they learn your position became redundant, in fact many will have been through the experience themselves at some point in their career.  Whatever happens, and whatever your circumstances, there are always positives you can take from the situation and as part of your planning for new opportunities, know your story e.g. my company was acquired by a global organisation who decided to consolidate all of their shared service into their service centre in Poland or; my last position became redundant as part of a restructuring of the R&D function that impacted software engineering team…

Talk About It 

Tell your friends and family what’s happened, there is nothing to be ashamed of.  These people are your support network as you explore new opportunities and look to adjust your life and lifestyle until you’re earning again.  Again, many of your friends may have been through similar situations themselves and may be able to provide you with practical tips, ideas or open up new opportunities for your to explore.

Know Your Rights

There’s a lot of free information and advice available to support you through redundancy.  It’s unusual that an employer intentionally does the wrong thing but as it’s a situation they may not face very often, may miss something or misinterpret something.  The law protects you but its also helpful to do some research yourself to understand how the process works.  Your employer should;

• enter into a meaningful consultation about the need for redundancy with individuals who may be impacted or their employee representatives (e.g. union).
• consider suggestions you or your representatives may have to mitigate the need for redundancies and if these suggestions are not viable, why they might not be an option e.g. reduced working week, freezing or reducing pay for all staff etc.
• honour any contractual or accrued entitlements you may have e.g. contractual notice periods etc.
• if you are entitled, make a statutory redundancy payment dependent on your age and length of service
• provide you with written reasons for your position being eliminated

Check your contract of employment to ensure that you know what your entitlements are.  For example, if your contract of employment provides for a longer notice period that the statutory entitlement, your contract prevails.

Find out if your employer has a written redundancy policy that may provide for more generous severance terms than the statutory minimum.

If your employer is forced to be selective in making redundancies i.e. to eliminate some but not all of the positions; there are a number of selection criteria they may use to make the selection.  You will be notified in advance of the selection criteria but they may include disciplinary record, qualifications, experience and competency for roles in organisation.

Your employer may want you to work your notice period but if they don’t, they should make a payment in lieu of any unworked period of notice.  They may also ask you to take any accrued holiday entitlement during your notice period.

Check your home insurance policies. Many policies provide for family legal cover that includes for employment disputes.  If you wish to challenge your redundancy or issues arise that need legal intervention, this may provide you with the means the fund the advice.

You can find additional information on your rights and entitlements on the government website; www.gov.uk/redundant-your-rights

You can call the ACAS helpline for free, impartial advice www.acas.org.uk or visit Citizens Advice either on line or in person www.citizensadvice.org.uk/work/leaving-a-job/redundancy

Plan For Your Finances

When you receive your severance payment, particularly if it’s an enhanced lump sum, you may be tempted to spend it straight away. That holiday of a lifetime, paying off the mortgage, fast car or house extension might now seem achievable but take some time and, if necessary advice, before you make any hasty decisions. How long is it going to take before you’re back in work? How long does this money need to last?

It may sound obvious, but it’s worth drawing up a list of your outgoings splitting expenses between your essential and non-essential expenditure and then establishing a budget for your new situation. This will also help to give you a timespan so that you know exactly how far your money will go, and how long you can dedicate to finding a new position.  If necessary;

• Find ways to cut back. Can you cut the out the daily trip to the coffee shop? Do you use that gym membership? When did you last review your utility providers? Does your internet or mobile phone provider offer you the best deal? Can you switch to own brand products or shop in alternative supermarkets?  Small savings add up!
• Get debts under control. Can you move credit card debt to a 0% balance transfer card? Can you take a mortgage payment holiday?
• Look at your insurances. Are you double insured e.g. device insurance or travel insurance on multiple policies. Can you claim on an Income Protection Policy that you or your partner may have? Are you overpaying on house, car or personal insurances? Do you need to replace any insurances that you lost when you left your employer e.g. life cover, critical illness cover?
• Try to Build an Emergency Fund. What does your rainy day look like? How many months’ net income do you have and how many do you need? (This is a useful exercise even when you’re working).
• Look at Ways to Supplement your Income. Do you have skills that others will pay for? Can you work temporarily in a new or similar role? Could you be a mystery shopper?

Use an online budget planner www.moneyadviceservice.org.uk to help you record your income and your outgoings. Be honest with yourself.

Sign On

You should not feel embarrassed or concerned about claiming benefits that you are entitled to. As a conscientious and hardworking person who has paid into the system, it is your entitlement to claim when you find your own circumstances have changed. In the first instance, find information on line including how to complete the on-line application for Job Seekers Allowance (JSA) www.gov.uk/jobseekers-allowance.   In addition to JSA, you may be entitled to get help with the cost of housing and childcare.

Even if you’re not receiving job seekers allowance, but are unemployed and looking for work, you can still sign on to get National Insurance Credits to maintain your National Insurance Record.  Maintaining your National Insurance Record is important to protect your entitlement to other statutory payments you may be entitled and other times in your life e.g. State Pension

Social Media

Clean up your social media accounts and keep a positive image on the internet.

• Make sure you cover all the social media networks when you are cleaning up your on line profile, even if you haven’t used or visited them for years. Change your security settings to ensure that all information is private.  Set your “tagging” preferences to disable the option for anyone to tag you in comments or photographs.  Comments made years ago on a friends page, political viewpoints or photos of wild parties will give a prospective recruiting manager an image of you that you may wish to avoid
• View your accounts “publically” to see what is available and can be found out about you on line and delete or change privacy settings on anything that you would prefer was private.
• View your profile pictures on all social media to ensure it portrays you in a positive light.Remember to change the privacy settings on photos you “take down”.  Include a review of the image in your mobile phone contacts; this image may feed through to your email account and will accompany CV or prospecting e-mail that you send out.
• Showcase your talents. Update your Linkedin profile with recent roles, projects and accomplishments including any voluntary work that you do. Add keywords to your profile so that you will show up in searches. Recruiters never search for “seeking new opportunities” as keywords!
• When in doubt, delete!Consider deleting controversial or provocative statements even if they go back several years, particularly if they are on public pages or news feeds.   Some recruiters have interns whose job is to go through candidate’s social media pages and they’re instructed to “dig deep”.
• File a complaint if necessary. If there’s content that someone else has posted that you can’t remove yourself, you may want to ask them to remove it.  If there are items on your Facebook page that you can’t remove yourself, you may want to contact Facebook Support.
• Going Forward. Don't delete your social media. Employers will expect to see that employees are active on social media and often use various platforms as a communication tool to employees.  Consider carefully what you post and the language you use, particularly on public pages or news feeds.  Be careful who you accept as a “friend”; if you don’t want everyone in your new company seeing your activity, limit your contacts to people you trust.
• Critique your email address. Is it professional? Spurs4thecup@gmail.com might work with your friends but you may want to create something more appropriate for your job search and online image