Unsettling working environment - AIBU?

[whattimeislove]

I work at a place that is great on paper & generally ok on a day to day basis.

Only every now and again people just disappear. Not in a woo way, but they turn up to work, get called into a meeting & are offered a couple of months salary to leave. It's done in an above board way, but it's usually a massive shock for the employee. Sometimes they're presented with information about them under performing that they have no prior knowledge of.

I'm finding it very unsettling & hoping that if I keep my head down it won't be me, but it's hanging over me like a cloud every time the managers disappear off together.

AIBU to feel this paranoid??

I'd be looking elsewhere yanbu.

Is that legal?

How often do you have performance reviews ? or 1-2-1 with your line manager? Because in a well run company any below par performance issues should be picked up and supporting plans put into place well before a dismissal stage..

Unless it is a long probation of eg six months and they are let go at the end of it.

I worked in exactly such a place and was one of those that was called in one morning and told to leave by the end of the day and to not forget to hand back my security pass on the way out! I think I was given about 6 weeks pay. I know I wasn't the only one.

It was a huge shock as I hadn't done anything that warranted that. To me you tell someone to leave immediately if there's maybe gross misconduct or similar. Up until a week prior to that I hadn't even been aware there was an issue. I'd been praised for my work up until that point but my manager suddenly took a dislike to me, started nitpicking and a week later, I was gone!

This was a big organisation too which ironically, helped people who'd suffered injustice! If I were you I'd start looking for something else. You may be fine but you don't want that cloud hanging over you all the time.

Sounds suspiciously like somewhere I used to work 😂 what sector?

We don't have performance reviews. The staff had been there 2+ years. I believe it's legal as it's a process where they're offered a small settlement and can reject it (but don't as who wants to stay somewhere that tries to get rid of you & will probably go through disciplinary & fire you (with no settlement) if you refuse?)

I'm probably more paranoid as I'm the only one in the team with kids but without a stay at home partner.

It doesn't impact my ability to do the job, but I can't agree to something straight away without working out the logistics at home. It's a male dominated area so in some ways this isn't unheard of, but it's an extra factor.

Interestingly the people they've got rid of are more career focused (no kids at home etc)

It sounds a crazy system. Do they not need to warn people they are at risk of redundancy?

Only every now and again people just disappear. Not in a woo way, but they turn up to work, get called into a meeting & are offered a couple of months salary to leave.

That sounds quite woo to me!!! It's like The Firm (John Grisham) or something. Maybe they discovered the secret in the basement and have to be paid off.

Ive gone through this recently. And I know I'm not the first, we'd actually be a brilliant company if all who had "left" got together again!

I'm taking the summer off, fortunately my solicitor negotiated me a good enough deal that I'm happy to have a lazy summer.

Yes, it's legal ..... or conversely, you're obliged to take legal advice on which legal rights you are effectively signing away (hopefully with some financial recompense). Initially i felt it was negative, in that folk would think I'd done something "wrong" but realising how common it is in our industry made me realise there's no point dwelling on it, and it's quite common for "moving on" individuals rather than needing to engage in formal redundancy,

Having said all that, it's not a good environment if you feel unsettled by the thought of it maybe happening to you.