Urban75 Home About Offline BrixtonBuzz Contact

Blimey -.I've been made redundant!

Sorry to see this. If you do anything other than lecturing or research, your transferable skills may well be better rewarded and respected outside HE. But hopefully there’s plenty of time to think about options.
 
That must be an awful shock after so long. If you're getting a proper redundancy package you should have time to think about it and let it sink in. My second redundancy worked out a lot better than my first.
 
oh bugger.

think i noticed you post something to say that things sounded wobbly.

sorry to hear that - i've never come close to being that long in a job. on the positive side, suppose the redundancy pay must be fairly substantial after that long.

at the risk of stating the obvious, citizens advice have a page on redundancy here.

this includes correct legal process for consultation and selection of posts / people for redundancy (if they have been discriminatory in selecting, e.g. selecting only people over a certain age - as one of my former employers did - or any other protected characteristic, you might have a claim for unfair dismissal), redundancy pay and benefits etc.

also probably stating the obvious, but if you're on notice but not actually left yet, be aware that your existing contract of employment applies until your last day of employment, which may include any 'garden leave' - leaving early to take another job or getting dismissed could bugger up redundancy pay. they may agree early release to start a new job but check and get it on paper before you commit yourself.

as regards benefits, you're probably entitled to contributions based job seekers allowance for (i think) 6 months, irrespective of any partner's income, or how much you have in the bank (although if you're going to get a work pension straight away, it may not be as simple as that - apologies if this isn't relevant to you, i don't know your age or pension circumstances but thought it was worth mentioning) - ultimately your choice, but i'd say if in doubt, claim. some people leave it until they have used up their redundancy pay, which you don't have to do.
 
Allow me to offer my sympathies, Is this the first time? Will probably feel a bit numb at first whilst you get your head round it. I trust you are getting a decent payout with 28 years service which should buy you some time to think about your next move.
 
Puddy_Tat said:
oh bugger.

think i noticed you post something to say that things sounded wobbly.

sorry to hear that - i've never come close to being that long in a job. on the positive side, suppose the redundancy pay must be fairly substantial after that long.

at the risk of stating the obvious, citizens advice have a page on redundancy here.

this includes correct legal process for consultation and selection of posts / people for redundancy (if they have been discriminatory in selecting, e.g. selecting only people over a certain age - as one of my former employers did - or any other protected characteristic, you might have a claim for unfair dismissal), redundancy pay and benefits etc.

also probably stating the obvious, but if you're on notice but not actually left yet, be aware that your existing contract of employment applies until your last day of employment, which may include any 'garden leave' - leaving early to take another job or getting dismissed could bugger up redundancy pay. they may agree early release to start a new job but check and get it on paper before you commit yourself.

as regards benefits, you're probably entitled to contributions based job seekers allowance for (i think) 6 months, irrespective of any partner's income, or how much you have in the bank (although if you're going to get a work pension straight away, it may not be as simple as that - apologies if this isn't relevant to you, i don't know your age or pension circumstances but thought it was worth mentioning) - ultimately your choice, but i'd say if in doubt, claim. some people leave it until they have used up their redundancy pay, which you don't have to do.
Click to expand...
Thanks very much - very useful!
 
ElizabethofYork said:
I've been at my university job for 28 years. Feeling numb at the.moment.
Click to expand...
Shit sorry to hear this. Have you been issued with your notice or are you 'just' at risk of redundancy?

Either way get in touch with your union if you are a member.
And take either a union rep or a workplace colleague to any meetings - they must run individual consultation meetings with you.

Most universties will have a right of appeal - almost certainly it won't change anything but you may be able to use it to drag the process out and get another week or two's pay.

You'll need to get any settlement agreement signed by a solicitor - the employer should be contributing towards that.
 
Last edited:
Sorry to hear that - the first time I was made redundant it was quite unsettling.

You can definitely claim Jobseekers Alllowance for 6 months.

If they are offering any 'career support' package - i.e. interview technique etc. take them up on that. You can be quite rusty and undersell yourself if you've been in the same job for years.. (that's if you decide on another job).
 
Horrible innit? I've been in my job, same place, for 24 years, so I understand how much of an unwanted boat-rocking time this is for you.

If you can afford early retirement, I'd grab that with both hands if it were me.
 
Well that's shit ElizabethofYork. I hope you can make the figures work out for early retirement if that's what you'd like.

Can only echo what others have said about getting your union and/or a solicitor involved, too. I was formally notified that my job was 'at risk' a few years ago and my union rep identified a fairly major procedural anomaly that opened discussions about unfair dismissal. Certainly strengthened our hand in negotiations.

I hope it all works out for you.
 
Hollis said:
i.e. interview technique etc. take them up on that. You can be quite rusty and undersell yourself if you've been in the same job for years..
Click to expand...

yes - and (with a lot of organisations) interview style has changed - the 'competency based' interview, where the questions are 'give an example of a time you did X' - done well, it can be like having a good rabbit down the pub (but without the beer) about work you've done in the past. done badly, it's some HR nurk who knows nothing about the job ticking buzz words off their list. although that's something for another day / thread.

there is a national careers service (although i understand it's a bit patchy) which can provide advice to job seekers of any age (when i left school, the 'careers service' was something the education authority ran, and it was only open for school leavers / people up to a certain age - some people assume the NCS is similar.)

philosophical said:
I think technically it is the job that is supposed to be redundant, not the person.
Click to expand...

yes - although when you get a situation (i don't know if that applies here) where an employer currently has X number of people in the same role but decides they now only need Y number, it comes down to selecting people.

depending on how many jobs are / were at risk, then there are legal requirements about consultation (irrespective of union representation) and any selections for redundancy should follow organisation's existing process, and should not be done in a way that's discriminatory under equalities law (although there's times that can be hard to prove.)

not sure a solicitor is absolutely essential unless they are offering a 'settlement agreement' (previously known as 'compromise agreement') where i think it's a requirement that you have legal advice. might not do any harm, but may not offer anything the union (if there's one involved) won't.
 
Hollis said:
Sorry to hear that - the first time I was made redundant it was quite unsettling.

You can definitely claim Jobseekers Alllowance for 6 months.

If they are offering any 'career support' package - i.e. interview technique etc. take them up on that. You can be quite rusty and undersell yourself if you've been in the same job for years.. (that's if you decide on another job).
Click to expand...

This reminds me that anyone who's being made redundant is also entitled to (reasonable) paid time off to look for a new job, including attending job interviews.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

B
Got a job where they were advertising two roles and the other has been re-advertised at more money
Replies
16
Views
778
AnnO'Neemus
A
passenger
Son has been kicked out of University
2 3 4
Replies
93
Views
6K
scifisam
scifisam
Helen Back
I've lost all enthusiasm for doing my OU course.
Replies
13
Views
691
Puddy_Tat
Puddy_Tat
E
Redundancy question
2
Replies
47
Views
2K
nick
nick
Treacle Toes
Liability to repay student loan has been cancelled?
Replies
26
Views
1K
strung out
S
Back
Top Bottom