being made redundant isn't 'basically the same as being fired'

[TheSunnySide]

Two people have said this to me in the last week.

My post has been made redundant and I leave my job of almost 20 years early next year.
I was offered the chance to take Voluntary redundancy but was told there was no chance at all of my post being saved - I chose not to take it as voluntary, partly because I get more help with redeployment in the company and partly because I wanted it on the business records that I did not choose to go.

Now I am worrying - would it look better to say I voluntarily took the opportunity to leave for new things rather than I was pushed?

I'd like genuine views from people on what they think when they hear someone has been made redundant.

I was given an option to go voluntarily with a leaving date to be negotiated. I think they would have wanted me to stay until 2017 anyway but I could have pushed and asked to go sooner - the extra year in employment and extra months salary at the end was worth staying for but I didn't anyway opt to go voluntarily.

One person who put in for Voluntary went within a month - I think he had the right idea!

I'm surprised they haven't given you notice yet, if they need to save 10% so urgently. Sounds like they may need to keep you on to help with the transition to the new way of working, in which case you could possibly negotiate for an extra payment to assist with this (but it would tie you in to certain date for leaving)

x-posted!

I have to be gone for definite by the end of the financial year but they haven't given me a firm date yet. I am just sick of having to do all the work for that 'transition'. It's massively demotivating - hence me being on mumsnet while at work :D

I was 'made redundant' and basically given lots of money to eff off. I didn't mind as it suited me but, where I worked, it was the same as being sacked. They did it a lot over the years and are still doing this now. It depends on the culture of the company.

And they replaced me within 3 months with someone doing exactly the same job with the same title.

if you have sufficient NI contributions (sound like it), then you qualify for contributing based JSA. only runs for 6 months but you should get it.

Last time our department was at risk, we were assessed on a number of criteria, including: length of service, formal qualifications, current (and possibly past) performance ratings, whether you'd had any sort of discipline issues and possibly a couple of other factors - can't remember now. I did ask if we could volunteer and was told yes, but we'll only accept if it matches our findings.

I'm still there. Being the best in the department can be shit financial planning.

Our department spans a number of European countries - it's interesting seeing the different ways they deal with redundancy. No two countries seem to have the same rules.

We were all made redundant as they sold off our customer book to a different company. Wasn't the same as being fired in the least.
I imagine it feels quite different if they are choosing some people to stay and some to go though.

I'd probably ask if you could go earlier with the salary end of December til feb and extra year of redundancy added as an ex gratia payment...

can't hurt...

YANBU OP

There are a lot of nasty people about - some in HR roles.

Of course employers can decide what sort of "performance" they want - but by definition, not everyone is going to be a star performer. A lot fo large corporations are abandoning the "bell curve" approach to shedding people as they have recognised it's often counter productive.

I got made redundant once - there was a lot of stigma, misunderstanding and downright prejudice about it at the time.

So OP are you then losing out on some money if you go early?
It's such a weird set up, I don't know why companies want demotivated staff hanging around, they'd be better paying you to go before. But it sounds as if they weren't clear what could be given to you.

TheSunnySide after I was made redundant I took the summer off and worked on my allotment. It helped me to clear my head.

Once I started looking for work I started claiming JSA (you dont have to start straightaway). Once I was claiming JSA I had to properly look for work. TBH the discipline was good for me. Keeping a record of what jobs I had applied for, what the outcome had been. Within the limitations of the rules I found the Job Centre people fine to work with.

I have an allotment and a small child so taking some time off is definitely something I would like to do.

The only money I would lose is through not working for that last month, but I do think perhaps I should stick it out because I will be one month closer to spring .

Not sure if I can negotiate extra, they have a pretty good but capped redundancy package so I will get a months wages for every year I have worked.

So many of you have been so helpful and informative - thank you. I am pretty ok about the situation now, despite some worries about my future employment prospects after so long in the same job but it is an opportunity for change and I am so much better off than many people who get nothing.

I was made redundant about 15 years ago.

Looking back, it was the best decision they could have made as it was the kick up the backside I needed.

I was getting bored doing what I was doing, so went back to college for three years to retrain.

Now doing a job which is totally different from the type of work I used to do.

Word of warning-follow the rules (get off mumsnet at work) or you may find yourself being put through the misconduct route with no redundancy pay. Better to forgo a couple of months pay than risk losing it all.