to think telling staff JUST before Xmas that their jobs are at risk is a bit shit!

[undercovasanta]

This has happened at DH's work today. I mean, would it have killed them to wait until January?

DH had to do something similar.
The consultation process needed to get started but he thought it should wait until after xmas.
Other partners didn't want anyone blowing loads of money if they are chosen for redundancy.

Twas a horrid choice to make. DH didn't know what to do for the best.

I think there's never a good time. My job is under threat and I have cut my christmas according to the potential cut in my cloth, if you see whazt I mean. I'd be terrified to have had a 'normal' christmas and then find out in January when things are always a little lean anyway, that I was about to have no money coming oin.

It's all a bit shit for many families right now, isn;t it?
Hope things work out for you.

I take your point (and hope things go ok with your job), but how many people wait until the 22nd December to start buying things for Xmas?

I can understand letting everyone know at the beginning of Dec, but on the 22nd????

It is shit.

Few years ago I was head of department - I got told a few weeks before Christmas we were under threat of redundancy, but no announcement to my team until after the New Year. Was awful. I knew but couldn't say anything.

Managed to negotiate quite a good settlement for all of us, though.

We went into consultation period last week. Hoping I'm safe from being on mat leave but lots aren't featuring at all :(

hadn't really registered it was the 22nd, sorry...

Dh was told this last Christmas. I was in the Christmas tree place trying to work out if we could afford a real tree when he phoned to tell me. Well, that solved my dillema anyway!

Having said that, friends were notified of redundancy risk by a retailer after Christmas a few years ago. The big boss said it was because they didn't want to ruin anyone's Christmas, but it was generally felt that it was a cynical decision to get every ounce of work out of them before pulling the plug.

Places where I've worked have a 'cut-off' period for bad news of about 15th December. After that you don't deliver any bad news, or publish anything you want people to read. What they've done is pretty crap.

DH's company decided to keep quiet before Christmas. However, on the 6th of January a third of the company are going to get some very bad news. I don't think there is a good time tbh. I know DH wishes he didn't know about what is coming, and even though it's not his decision, he still feels shit.

Paxo - I've been there, it's horrible and very stressful. Had to hide my knowledge from my staff. Sending my sympathies to your dh.

I found out about a week ago that I'm off in the spring. Been with the company more than 20 years so the payoff is okay. This has been coming for a while so I'm kind of resigned to it. In all honesty I'm also quite excited at the prospect. BTW I am the sole breadwinner so this will impact the whole family.

There is never a good time to give this sort of news. TBH I would always rather know sooner than later. We couldnt change what we had spent on Christmas but the timing for finding out means we can reflect a bit over the holiday to think what to do next.

Dh has been through several rounds of cutbacks, plus a relocation decision (5 miles away?) and it is all very worrying even if it comes to nothing. tomorrow is his last day at work after everyone was made redundant and the site closed.

When I worked in local government (earning my "gold plated pension") this was the routine whenever they had a reorganisation. The letters telling us that our jobs were at risk would generally land on the doormat the day before we went off for the Christmas break. It happened roughly every 2-3 years for my whole LG career.
It's shit isn't it? I really feel for everyone going through this at the moment.

I agree undercovasanta - leaving it so late before Christmas does not allow for the 'limit how much is spent for Christmas' argument.

I remember when 9 people were made redundant from a firm I worked for ... it was the first week in February (and one of my colleagues, who had felt it was likely, borrowed my car to go to a job interview).

He put everything from his desk in the car to take home, feeling quite sure that the day after his interview, he and others would be given the news. He was 100% correct.

Definitely unsympathetic and uncaring attitude from an employer to do this just before Christmas, but not sure whether there are any drawbacks in not doing it after New Year - still a massive blow to anyone affected, but perhaps a decision to allow for anyone who would try to "pull a fast one" and take a day or two off "sick" in 2011, that they increase their chance of getting to be permanently out of that place of work if they do.

Sorry to read of people losing jobs any time of year, but definitely when there will be a week or so of close family presence, worry and tempers/ concerns don't go together too well.

Just hope 2011 gets better for anyone with problems (as someone getting over bankruptcy, I know a bit about not having access to cash myself).

YABU.

If it means that some people go a bit less mad at Christmas cos they might not be able to pay it off in the new year then fine.

Having been in this position myself I found the attitude of 'let the staff have a nice Christmas' to be paternalistic and patronising. Like we were kiddies.