Made redundant

[Conversationalcheddar]

I’ve been with my company 11 years. They’ve made me redundant (and the whole team) in the typical style: get rid of us all, and then rehire all our roles condensed into two roles, but whack a “you need a masters degree” as essential criteria, so none of us are eligible.

I could reasonably fight it as the business case actually does not list how there is a decreased workload in my job role and actually if you compare my JD with the new ones, all of my duties will now be split across two (higher paid!) people. So their need for me to have a masters for work I’m already doing seems deliberate to exclude me. And so I don’t really want the job any more. Obviously cannot let hr know that.

I just need to rant, really. I have two small children and recently returned from Mat leave, so I’m lucky to have enhanced protection which means that I should be automatically redeployed. I have found a suitable post and asked to be redeployed.

It is just hard to not take it personally. I consistently go above and beyond. But now I’m sleepless and (it feel like) unwanted by my employer. I will be working to contract until my redeployment, with no additional work
being done, especially if it is outside of my job description. I have consistently been doing this to help with my team’s ever increasing work load. But I obviously will not be doing that.

I just need to rant. DH is very supportive, which is great. I also feel deeply embarrassed. It’s hard not to take it personally, even if it isn’t personal. I have the feeling they’re going to ask me to do a handover or provide handover notes… I know legally I have to but that feel strange if my job is “redundant”. I understand I’m taking g this a bit literally but following the legal definition, you would think there would be no need for a handover if my work is “redundant”. I’m feeling emotional and resentful right now, I obviously will not be voicing any of this to hr or my colleagues. My plan is to quietly and compliantly move on.

Anyone been in this position? Any words of
advice?

Have you spoken to acas?

@Sussexserpentsnot yet. Was given notice yesterday about 4pm and obviously had to absorb it all and find the redeployment position I wanted and alert hr immediately of wanting this as my first consultation is not until the end of next week and the deadline for this job is this Friday. It’s my number 1 job today, especially given I’m not in a union.

@Sussexserpentsi obviously am now really regretting overlooking joining a union…

Call ACAS

Join the union now, although they can’t help you for anything in the past they can for anything that comes up.

ring ACAS

a handover for a redundant job, have they told you this

dont take it personal, they don’t have “ loyalty “ and if you choice to go above and beyond- that your choice

before you speak to acas write everything down so when you speak to them you have all the information to hand. Date you started, date you returned. Have your contract and job description to hand and all other relevant info. ACAS were great when I had to speak to them but I was an emotional mess and she had to work to get the info out of me so wish I had been far more prepared. I’ve only contacted ACAS once but my experience was really good

Thanks all. The post I asked to be redeployed into was in a different department at the same employer. I received a response from my employer saying that I could only be redeployed within my own department. As anyone who has been in this position knows, this is not what the law says. My hr team are now scrambling to get their story straight with the legal team. They won’t give me answers on anything and will only say they are consulting their legal team. The deadline for this role has come and gone and when I repeatedly asked to be redeployed there, they told me repeatedly to make an application as normal. Via the normal route. Again, this is not what the law says. I did it anyway because it’s a really good position but I feel really defeated, especially as my hr manager agreed that I was very well suited to the role, so it would have been likely I would have been redeployed.

I feel so utterly let down. I have received advice that I need to keep it all as evidence so I can submit a grievance and, if I want to, take it further. But I don’t want to do that. I just want to be redeployed.

There's no obligation to redeploy you into a different role. There has to be a skills match, is there? Or a cleaner being made redundant could theoretically ask to be redeployed to a vacant CEO role....