How to best support colleagues at risk of redundancy

[MassiveTit]

Hi everyone

Looking for some advice. We've had the redundancy email. Straight to compulsory and only with statutory pay :(. My department remains pretty safe but part of the redundancy package is removing all posts above Senior Lecturer. There will be a handful of professor posts in the new structure and a few more SL posts.

We have professors in my department who have worked for years, have developed such important research threads. It's heart breaking. It also feels like it's punishing the successful ones.

Anyone that has been in this position of facing redundancy while people around you are safe - what can we do to support our colleagues? Has anyone found anything particularly useful?

I'm in prof services so a different relationship. At our uni many of the professors who left were happy to escape the shit storm.
Some have retired early, others have new roles at places that actually suit them better than what we have become.
If your professors still need/want to work then of course they'll be feeling different to this.
And only statutory redundancy is shitty compared to many of the enhanced packages other unis have offered.
Hopefully there will be more knowledgeable people along later to give better insights

Crikey. Sounds awful. As a Prof it makes me quake. Is this legal? Best support is going on all out strike!

Do you work at NTU by any chance? I heard something about that recently and think they work there and are worried too. I’m sorry you’re going through this.

It’s legal, and not uncommon. They want to reduce the overall number of redundancies so target Profs and Readers. My DH took VS in these circumstances a couple of years ago. He's glad to be gone, it’s proven to be a lot worse for the colleagues who kept their jobs.

Thanks everyone. I'm going with the solidarity thing as best as possible. It's a sad time.

No, not at NTU. The reason for targeting Readers and Profs is to reduce the research portfolio so all above board.

If only there were anywhere else to go to 😪