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.

They said dp'd find out something this week, but nothing yet.

I'm fed up! He only got this job 2mths ago and the next week they said they were probably relocating the department.

Sorry for everyone else waiting too.

(relocating out the country so almost everyone will be let go)

Legally, there has to eb a consultation process...so first comes the announcement, then the consultation, then decision.

Horrible for everyone concerned. Though, it does give people the heads up to look around or take on any extra expenditure.

Although DH says you'd be gobmacked how many folk take on a new mortgage/get pregnant/ announce their partner is now a SAHP, during the process.

Bangs head against wall.

there doesn't have to be a consultation period unless a certain number are being made redundant

It is absolutely foul.

I was made redundant after the company arsed about for 3 months. It affected me very badly. I am just so grateful that my income was not the main one.

I am now working for myself doing consultancy work.

It is horrible, but also fair in a way. It gives people a chance to look for something else, particularly those who don't have much service and wouldn't get much redundancy money. I'd rather know than be given a bombshell one day and a box to pack my stuff in.

Off to run some more consultation meetings. I know it's awful for the peole being made redundant but it's not easy for those managing it and my jobs been crap for 12 months now and I've given up the will to live. You have no idea what goes on behind the scenes and how stressful it is making sure everything is done as fairly as possible. Whinge over and I know I've got a job but it's so draining and am tempted to swear but won't even on mumsnet. And I don't want to go to work to do any more of it. Still slap on and at my desk by 9.30pm

DP has been through this three times in two years. Its horrendous.

sympathies, we've got this in our household as well, sigh.

bunty - what a nightmare, hope your pay comes through asap.

YABU. I'm responsible for 20 employees and have had to tell them that redundancies are almost inevitable but are very unlikely to be made until April 2011. I told them this in September. Our policies - and it is pretty standard - is that 90 days notice is essential.

Yes, it means a long period of uncertainty for the staff concerned and this is potentially very disruptive or distressing, but I looked at it this way: If I wasa in their shoes, would I like it if I was being given only 90 days notice when my employers were fully aware of the potential for redundancies several months before me? Jobs are thin on the ground at the moment. I feel like I'm being fair to my employees by giving them as much notice to do try and find a different job as I can.

I've also made it clear that I'll be keeping them posted as soon as I have any new information about our likely situation in the future.

Ultimately, my job isn't 100% secure either and I know that I would rather have as much notice as possible about this as opposed to the basic 90 days.

Completely echo the comments made by onceamai. Absolutely hate my job at the moment (though am obviously grateful to be getting a salary). As well as my own job insecurity, I also have a staff team constantly asking questions about their future that I can't answer. I know they're stressed and worried, they feel that I should know where we will all be in a few months time but the bottom line is that I don't have a clue as yet. The local authority have told us there will be cuts but still haven't decided the full extent of them or where they will fall. We just know that we will have a minimum 10% drop in income.

I do appreciate that it's shit being on the HR end of things as well, and obviously it's better to have a consultation process than just be told 'you're out'. The whole thing is demoralising to everyone, and it's made worse at our place by the fact that, while HR do make a lot of effort to smooth relations among staff and answer questions, the top brass have been known to behave less than appropriately

Litchick I'll be a SAHM once the process is over; I've put in for voluntary severance as we are (very) lucky enough to be able to afford it, with a bit of belt tightening. Tbh, now that the decision's made, I can't wait to go and just wish I could jack it in before Christmas.

it is hard; Dh went through this last year, nt frpm recession but company being sold and downsized.

There were all sorts of bizarre job offers made to people- 7 day weeks of 5 hour shifts from 12 - 5am; sjhifts where you found out when they needed you each day 24 hours ina dvannce (useless if you needed childcare, could be anywhere in 24 hr clock).

In teh end, occupational health ruled Dh as unsuitable for those jobs (rightly I think, he's had severe past illness) and his ended. But although it's been bloody tough, he's on a whole new path now that should work out far better in the long run (retraining, self employment) so when it comes to fruition will have been hopefully an overall good thing (fingers crossed).

Sympathies SEA;
IMO it;s ahrder sometimes not knowing than knowing and working towards a solution.

(The HR staff at Dh's palce came down from london, and held a meeting where they had no answers to questions then asked where the most expensive restaurant in town was as they could put it on expenses; in fairness I;lve enver come across HR staff like it before but FFS)

They are doing this in our place as well...but meanwhile, they expect us to be all gung ho and put ourselves out for the company...they sent an e-mail around the other week asking if any of us would be an out of hours contact for some stuff they require it for

Yeah as if!!

Are all these redundancies due to spending cuts, or relocation to a lower taxation country, or something else?

cream for us it was simply that DH's Employers decided to change the direction of their business- related to the opening up of a previously locked market-in fact, they were making record profits at that time.

Spending cuts in our case (VCS).

My DH goes through this every other year or so. So far he's been lucky but one day we know it'll be his turn.

My sympathies and good luck wishes to everyone who's going through it now.

spending cuts.

There are people at DH's place of work who are openly longing for redundancy because they think they're in for a good financial payout. He won't qualify as he hasn't been there that long; we have a huge mortgage on a crappy house plus I am a SAHM with health problems so I can't work. The unstressed ones who are waiting to be paid off tell him he 'chose' to be in this position. Which doesn't help very much at all. Smug twats.