Worked a year for free, basically

[Sadandstressed26]

A year ago my employer launched a voluntary severance scheme. The scheme met the number of staff it needed to.

A year later we have voluntary and potentially compulsory redundancies.

If I am made redundant, I will have worked for free, the difference between the voluntary severance and voluntary redundancy is huge. If I am not, there are lots of people in the same boat so it will apply to some.

I take take voluntary redundancy for the same reason I couldn't take voluntary severance.

I'm not sure what I'm asking for really, just want to vent.

To top it off, we haven't been informed of any restructures, but it was published on a shared company drive.

Its very annoying . But you werent to know there would be another round of redundancies with less favourable terms.

Don’t we all work for 5/6 months of the year equivalent where we’re just handing money to the government to spend on everyone else?

If you have a union and fight VR and CR, and don't win the fight, the compromise is sometimes more favourable terms of VR, more similar to VS. When we went through VS, the HR was very loud about "VR will be less attractive than this". So it was a clear choice - how much risk people can tolerate...

It wasn’t unclear - I understood exactly what you meant.
unfortunately not much you can do but I do feel for you - try not ponder it too much x

Don’t forget - to spend on ourselves too - NHS, roads, schools etc etc

You get an extra week's pay for the extra week that you worked. You get notice, or money in lieu - depends how much in your contract. Additionally, if you are made redundant and benefits are necessary, you get straight away in the UK, and can ask for help with any mortgage, but voluntary you do not.

You have had an extra year to polish your skills, brush up your CV and add experience to it. So not all negative.

Start making connections, especially with those who have left already. Your decision may be based on local job opportunities. Can you ask for a quote from your HR folks, if the voluntary is still on the table?

As someone who has been self employed her whole life i find the entitlement of employed people shocking at times

Usually it’s the good people who know they can get a better job somewhere else and quickly who take the package; the company is left with the people it didn’t want.

I think you are misunderstanding what is going on here.

Your employers want you to go for option (a) and take the bigger payoff and be gone. If you don't then they have to run an expensive redundancy process which will cost them more despite having paid you less. It's a bribe (not in an illegal way) and it is supposed to be attractive.

If the payoffs were similar, whether at the high end or low end, you would have no incentive to take the money quick and scarper

Are you saying that if you don’t take voluntary redundancy (and continue to work for the next twelve months) that your service for that 12 month period won’t count as service for the purpose of redundancy pay calculations?

Because the way you have worded your post (and your follow up comments) make absolutely zero sense.

I suggest you see an employment lawyer and have them explain to you exactly what is happening because you seem unsure of what is going on.

I think that what the OP is saying is simply the package that was available last year was worth about £25k more than the package on offer right now which is as much or more than her salary has been in that period. If she'd chosen to jump ship then and sat on her arse for a whole year she'd be no worse off than she is now.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Yes don't berate yourself, you made the best decision for your circumstances at the time. Also, you wouldn't necessarily be $25K better off if you'd taken severance because it may have taken you a while to find a new job. I hope things work out okay for you OP.

Agree you may still find you made the right choice if your circumstances mean you need to carry on working and face a risk of not being able to find a similar job. You still have a job. Still being paid. Sounds like there’s still work to do so not all of you can be let go.

We have just gone through this and I absolutely recognise the PP’s point about the good people taking the money and leaving while the poor performers hang on. The senior managers get to say they’ve successfully reduced headcount and costs while the remaining staff are left with the HR headache people, more work, instability and the misery of constant restructuring.

As someone who is capable of empathy, I wonder what the point is of posting like this to an OP who is clearly upset, rather than just scrolling on to the next thread.

I agree you made the best decision at the time. If you had left on the previous round the money could have run out by today….which if you didn’t have another job would be an issue. Even if this next payment is less it buys you security for a bit longer. A years wages and some redundancy. It’s all money in the bank/making sure the bills are paid. Good luck.

We keep having rounds upon rounds and it’s stressful. We get told one round will be enough, six months later it happens again….then they employ some more people to replace the ones they made redundant/severance and then we have another round of redundancy…and they wonder why they have no money!

Thanks all. I'm not a poor performer, I'm very good at my job. But some people clearly just like to kick others.

This has been cathartic, thank you. Ready for another day of firefighting. I love my job and I get to help people, so no, I didn't want to give that up.

In our case, the company chose who they would accept the VS request from. They declined the good ones and let the less reliable staff go.

From a business perspective, I totally get it. From a personal perspective, it stings.

Yes I don't think that OP can comment, each company/team is different.

Re who they accept really depends on their situation and goals. I’ve worked on VS where the will accept anyone as they desperately need to lose huge people costs in future years. No one is “that” good at what are usually fairly generic jobs that it’ll matter in a desperate situation. I’ve also worked on schemes that are over subscribed and at the point yes, you can pick and chose a little. It’s not a big driver of who they pick though tbh. They’re often in such a situation that risks are being taken everywhere

Downside of them accepting everyone is that departments and systems are left exposed with junior staff in charge of things they're not trained for and no extra pay, seen it happen.

Ach OP. I feel for you. Have you factored in a years worth of pension payments and other benefits?

It's still unclear. Did you apply for severance and were refused so now feel bitter if you are to be made redundant you will receive a smaller pay off?