to think it's mental torture to tell people they will be made redundant

[southeastastra]

then string it out for months and months while everyone wonders who will be cut?

and fed up with this long drawn out process.

feel for you
my brother is going through this, it is mental torture for me as he does go on a bit about it, but I can't imagine what it must be like for him and people in those circs.

It's tedious isn't it? We're going through our second round this year, totally demotivating.

Sympathy.

It's the law, they have to do it that way.
But it is mental torture.

They have got to have a consultation period though. I agree though it must be very unpleasant for those caught up in it.

DH and I work together, our organisation is merging, there will be redundancies etc etc

First thing they did was set up a new team to do this costing £££££££££££££££££

and scream....

Yes, it's really horrible.

I was made redundant a few years ago and they screwed up - first off they told me I was being made redundant, I emailed to confirm and say give me some ££.

They realised they had done it wrong and denied the conversation then obviously spoke to HR and had to do it by the book. Took ages with the same result and was horrible.

It was really hideous at the time and very stressful so I really feel for you. Hope it doesn't go on too much longer, hang in there.

i went through this a few years ago. fortunately it only lasted a few weeks. being given the push was a relief after the strain of not knowing, though i did openly update my cv, get managers to write references and jobhunt in works time while we waited to hear.

It is very unpleasant, you have my sympathy. We heard a few months ago that Dh may be losing his job and will find out at Christmas time.

Its is horrific for those involved but its a legal requirement

Often the people that keep their jobs continue with the mental anguish as they have more people's work to do and still have the threat of redundancy hanging over them in the future.
Personally, through redundancy I have a better job than I had before. It's less money but 100% better than my previous one. Try not to get too down about it. It's awful at the time but things do get better.

Totally sympathise - have just been through this and to be honest its awful for all concerned. The ones who are going are obviously upset/unsettled and those who are safe (for now) have a kind of survivors guilt and often don't really know how to interact with the others.
Have been on both sides of the fence - and currently this is week 2 of being at home job hunting, getting bored, MNing, fretting about the future (single parent, sole earner in the house).

i think it's also because i've just started a work related degree one day a week, so i would also have to find something that could incorporate that :( bad timing on my part

We've got it at our place too
it's a legal requirement to go through a consultation period
plus in that timeframe people get new jobs or decide to retire so they have less to make redundant

My husband just had two years of that. He works for a University and they eliminated his position and put him on the redeployment list.

2 years later they've hired him as a Teaching Fellow, after giving him 'make work' for 2 years.

It's been the most stressful 2 years of my life, never knowing if he was going to come home and say 'I've been given my redundancy notice.'

Sorry but it's the statutory consultation period.

As others have said they have to do these consultation perioids if they are making more than a certain number redundant. You have my sympathies because I have been through a few myself.

Ironically, the least stressful one was the time I knew I would be going because the initial announcement about numbers and locations made it quite obvious that our whole department must be closing. We treated the consultation period as a bit of a time buffer to look for jobs while we awaited confirmation. Quite a few people then had jobs lined up to go to straight away so they got their redundancy and walked straight in to another position.

Consultation periods can be useful though if you staff representative takes it seriously and uses the opportunity to raise concerns and get information.

It is horrible isn't it. I've just been through this and feel a million times better now I have a firm date for when I will be made redundant. It's easier to make plans and feel positive about the future now that I know what is happening.

YANBU
but I think it is worse to be handed a letter and expected to leave that day, while owed 2 months pay which there is no sign of. Happened to me last month.

We're not going to be "told" until next Friday but was shown a plan where my post has vanished.

Any one else got shown a picture of that hateful acceptance curve - I'll will give full stink eye to the next person who shows that in a powerpoint presentation

Bunty - how's it going.