How did you feel in your redundancy meeting?

[Iworry2021]

Hi everyone,

just wanted to know how people felt in their redundancy meeting?

I'm asking because I have to go through it soon and I feel pretty down about the whole thing.

Even considering not attending at all and just rolling over and accepting my redundancy.

For information, I was scored the lowest in my redundancy pool.

I was pretty angry with my employer (a large charity) but delighted to be getting out with some money. I'm sorry this is happening to you. Good luck for the future.

Raging, because it was all lies. A bigger company bought us out and said at the time they were not just buying the tech but the great talent. I thought at the time that was a lie, and a few weeks later I was proved right. In my redundancy meeting I told them what I thought of them!

I felt extremely fucking shit to be made redundant whilst on mat leave (also working for a charity!). It took me a while to get over it tbh but I was happy with my payout and am now happy to be working somewhere I’m actually valued. So you can have a big unmumsnetty, covid unsafe hug from me!

I didn’t bother to fight it even though my union rep was all geared up for battle because I’d been experiencing gender-based discrimination from a senior colleague for a while and was ready to walk away (appropriately compensated). But good luck in whatever you choose to do.

@DuesToTheDirt

Good on you for telling them what you thought of them.

I was thinking of doing the same but I'm worried I might come across emotional

I think I cried. I didn't mean to, it just happened. The people in the meeting the felt super guilty and gave me an extra month of redundancy pay, and a few extras.

@Aozora13

I'm in exactly the same position, I'm on maternity leave at the moment.

Deep down I know I'm being made redundant because of my pregnancy, but the company got their ducks in a row and made it appear "objective "by using selection criteria.

It’ll be worth it to get a lawyer to look over the contract. My husband spent £300 on one and came out with three times as much money as the original offer.
Don’t agree to anything till someone else has looked it over. Best of luck.

@Kerberos

That's really nice of them. My company would never do that.

[quote Iworry2021]@Aozora13

I'm in exactly the same position, I'm on maternity leave at the moment.

Deep down I know I'm being made redundant because of my pregnancy, but the company got their ducks in a row and made it appear "objective "by using selection criteria.[/quote]
Were the selection criteria fair and objective or could they be considered discriminatory? You can challenge them if you think there are grounds. I challenged the pool and was offered an enhanced settlement.

I felt like shit, worthless and like I must have been useless at my job (despite the 3 awards I had won during covid from external bodies). It affected my mental health so severely I even contemplated ending it all.

The "at risk" consultation was a big fat waste of time, they knew exactly who was going and just prolonged the agony for us all. Our union rep managed to negotiate furlough for us all while going through the at risk process which helped, and they couldn't exactly argue that there was work for us when they were making us redundant.

Keep your chin up, apply for everything you can and hopefully you will be through the otherside as quickly as possible.

@Iworry2021 I’m so sorry it’s happening to you too. People are always really surprised when I tell them “is that even legal?” is the general reaction but you’re right, there are ways and means and discrimination can be hard to prove. Depending on where you’re at in your mat leave there are guidelines around alternative positions etc - ACAS has lots of info if you’re not part of a union. But as I say, I just wanted out by that point. However if you are looking to challenge them you can also contact Pregnant then Screwed or the Maternity Action helpline as well as ACAS/union. You might also have free legal advice through your home insurance.

I asked for redundancy in my meeting. Had been there 20 years and was looking to move before covid. However, some of the others were stitched up. Manger just looked after their mates instead of performance.

If you are in maternity leave and there are suitable vacancies available they have to offer you one. Have you discussed this with them?

1st time. Absolutely distraught, I think I just got to the car park before I broke down and it really knocked my confidence badly for a long time.

2nd time. Pissed off, It was a very small family company and I was really good at my job and made a big difference to the efficiently of the team but some stupid financial decisions meant I drew the short straw. Their loss not mine.

Last time, it was during lockdown and we supply to an industry thats just dropped of a cliff so not surprised really. I just got back on the merry go round and got lucky pretty quickly so fingers crossed I'll be able to stick this one out.

Don't take heart. Its not personal even if it feels like it. Get your CV updated and take advantage of any return to work options available including retraining, getting formal qualifications for your work experience and employment agencies.

Good on you for telling them what you thought of them.

Everyone was thinking the same but I was the only one that voiced it. But why not, you've nothing to lose after all.

I was excited but I had volunteered for redundancy. Seemed like a good idea in November 2019 to go freelance, but things were rather different in my industry when I actually left in May 2020 and I have hardly worked since

Oh and I had to sign a confidentiality document as a condition of my settlement (I can't remember if that's what it was called, but basically promising not to slag them off), ha ha! I'll leave it to you to guess if I kept to it!

Bloodybridget you need to be careful with that... if you've signed a NDA they can take you to court if you badmouth them.

Redundancy was a basic 10 minute phone call them the same a few weeks later during lockdown. No actual meeting or anything. I felt in some respects relieved I didn't have to see them again and in some ways angry that after over a decade of service they could do it in a phone call

Betrayed. I also had to sign a confidentiality agreement which didn't really bother me as I didn't want to even think about them, let alone speak.
If it happened in my job now I would be happy. I'm done with it and want to leave, and will before the end of this year anyway, a pay off would be nice.

Over the moon! After the initial shock and fear, used it as an opportunity to change my life, escape the 9-5 and build a new life for myself. I went travelling for 6 months with the money (appreciate this is a luxury now thanks to Covid), realised I didn’t actually care all that much about promotions and payrises, and now have a much smaller life (smaller home, less belongings, 2 jobs which I love but bring me no stress) and a baby on the way. In hindsight, even though I loved my job at the time, it was the best thing that ever happened to me.

Relieved, as it had been such a long, stressful process leading up to it. Sad at leaving my colleagues. I didn't accept the first offer of money, and asked for more, which they gave me.

Got a better job within two months, though this was pre-Covid.

Closed our whole site, 100+ people lost their livelihoods, I took it in my stride, had transferable skills, big payout, planned to have some time off and then look for another job.
Went into my 1 to 1 with a director from another site, who I knew very well, I was planning on saying no hard feelings, all the best etc and he was so rude and dismissive that I ended up giving him both barrels, 20 years of pent up frustration rained on his unsuspecting head.
He looked so shocked, it was very satisfying, I left the room shouting shame on you, shame on you.

Met outside the room by the sea of smiling faces of my colleagues.
Very liberating

OP have you taken any legal advice? I was made redundant almost immediately after mat leave & my fab union rep argued that the scoring was unfair as I'd been scored against people who had worked the year that I'd missed which was indirect sexual discrimination.
While I was fighting against it I got another job so took the money & ran in the end, but my fellow low scoring colleague who was also on mat leave (funny that ) hired a no win no fee lawyer & got a greatly enhanced package/compromise agreement.
Good luck, you can do this. And if you do get emotional fuck em. Bastards

If you are at risk of redundancy during your maternity leave, Regulation 10 of the Maternity and Parental Leave Regulations 1999 says that if there is a suitable alternative vacancy it should be offered to you as you are on maternity leave.

You should get legal advice. I don't think it's right you are in a pool with others.