Redundancy 2025

[Cartwrightandson]

How is your institution doing? I recall last year there was a lot of redundancies and VS...

Sorry that was just me ranting and not helpful to you at all!

Is your husband a lot older than you? If he's the higher earner isn't it better for him to stay and you to take VS? I'm assuming you both feel one of you needs to get out?

Also I've found this a really helpful space to normalise my experience and know I'm not going mad - that we are being treated really poorly. I hope it also helps you.

And yet we get emails every week about looking after our health and how the leadership are doing their utmost to be transparent and save jobs. It's all just bollocks they do not care about us or our students

My place care about the "student experience" but not the staff, really. They have referred/deferral marking required to be done in August, and you HAVE to be available unless you're on booked annual leave. So when are we supposed to have our holidays ?

They're now on about "every interaction" has to be "gold star" because of NSS. So are we not to say "No" to students? Or give them low marks for unsatisfactory work?

Fortunately (as far as we're told, and I have no reason not to believe it) our institution is financially stable. We went through a small-scale 'voluntary' cull a couple of years ago, but we seem to be 'safe' for now. However, I have friends elsewhere who are not so lucky. One friend of mine has just lost all three of his PhD supervisors in one go.

Please rant away (though I didn't read your post as that) @Chrysanthemum5 😊. We're all going through such an insane time.

Yes, he's significantly older than me. Don't want to say too much details wise, but I'm more likely to be kept on than him we think strategically (I'm cheaper for a start and my areas are more in line with what we're being told to prioritise), and I really need pension contributions as I have basically none as our field has very few jobs even under normal circumstances so over a decade of post-PhD casual work is very normal.

He gets a good lump sum and a pension, I'd get a few grand max and no pension. He's also just ready to walk at this point as work has become so stressful and unfulfilling.

So I really am keeping my fingers crossed I'm not forced out (and hoping the stress decreased)

It looks as if you were right, sadly: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckg12xwx9x2o.amp

(I'm a long-term lurker on this board as I'm fairly senior PS in HE - hello all!)

My previous post was meant to quote this one!

500 staff at risk, at least half being made to leave. The intention is to cut 10% of staff across the board…obvs not exec though 🙄 This is after just spending £75m on a new building, £3m on a bike shed, removing free bus travel for students and staff and still planning a new medical school. The reputational damage will be far reaching and the student experience is going to get worse

The current figures being cited may be a management bargaining position/PR strategy, in the way Cardiff's probably were. I hope for the sake of the staff on middle and lower grades that the final result is nowhere near as bad.

A horrible time. Heart goes out to Derby's PS and academics.

I wish it was but they are adamant 10% staff reduction is the target. Good luck to everyone going through this at Derby or elsewhere.

Sending best wishes to people at Derby. A 10% reduction seems to be the figure most universities are pushing.

We have had more communications this week about reviews etc which we are assured will make life so much better for staff. Presumably not better for the staff who will lose their jobs though.

We lost over 350 staff through VL at Sussex this year and there’s like to be another round soon. Incredibly depressing.

My institution went through this last year with several rounds of VS, we are yet to hear how we are faring this year. Promotions remain frozen. By the time they open up promotions again, there will be huge competition from everyone stuck at whatever level they are stuck at. I’m very fed up, long overdue promotion, work way too hard and am way too stressed. But in my 50s and qualified into a corner.

Sending sympathies to all struggling with this.

FFS, Derby add insult to injury: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c891ykj2j85o.amp

I know a lot of people who work at Derby Uni and every single one of them had this visible on their letter.

Sounds like it’s being handled really badly as staff are being forced to apply for voluntary redundancy because if they don’t they’ll only get compulsory redundancy. From what I’ve been told they’re only offering 1.5 weeks pay and calling that enhanced!

It seems to be a PR exercise as they will defend this publicly and say it was voluntary and those who left wanted to go. Some will want it but most being made redundant don’t, no one I’ve spoken to wants to leave.

Too many hardworking people are going to lose their jobs and it’s completely avoidable so those making these decisions should be ashamed.

Well had a meeting today and 27% of my insitute will be gone - but they won't tell us which roles are at risk until tomorrow. Looking at the minimal information they've given I think my role is gone so maybe I will find the VS decision taken out of my hands

Meeting was awful they started it by joking away about sound quality etc which was not great when we were all expecting bad news. And then most of the presentation was about the amazing consultation work they've done and the lovely solution they've come up with

I’m sorry. What are the unions saying? So far we seem to have avoided compulsory redundancy. I don’t know how any university can survive with 27% of their workforce gone! My students are already beginning to complain as they notice a difference due to lack of professional service staff.

I'm so sorry, Chrysanthemum5, that sounds horrible. The guys joking away won't be the ones at risk of losing their jobs, I suppose.

Thanks @MoominUnderWater the unions oppose it but they seem pretty toothless. Tomorrow we find out our individual fates

@sortaottery no the people joking are safe it was just so offensive that they were laughing away while everyone else in the room felt sick

So sorry to hear this and also shocked about how badly it's been handled. Is it academic staff, professional services or both who are bearing the brunt of these cuts?

So sorry @Chrysanthemum5

I'm just out of words right now, but hoping for the best for you.

Thinking of you today, @Chrysanthemum5

Also thinking of you today. Such difficult times.

When similar bad news at my university was announced in a December staff meeting, the Finance Officer suggested that we could discuss our potential redundancies with our families over Christmas dinner. Needless to say, that did not go down well.

Ugh so sorry @Chrysanthemum5 that all sounds completely shit. So sorry.