To make people redundant before Christmas?

[Beforeorafterchristmas]

Hello,

I have a bit of a conundrum and wondering what people would prefer in their situation. I have to lay off ALL my staff (8 in total) because the business is just not profitable anymore. I can maybe last 1-2 more months but then the money is gone. So, I need to tell everyone that they’re going to be made redundant... I’m absolutely gutted and I want to minimise the impact on everyone as much as possible.

So, do I tell everyone now?
OR tell everyone as soon as we come back from Christmas break on 2nd January, closing down on the 31st January?

I feel like if I was an employee I’d want to know ASAP so I could start looking for another job... but is it just going to ruin everyone’s Christmas?

I feel so sick, I’m at a loss! What do you think is the right thing to do?

a huge contract sunk that has cost me a massive chunk of money (with a well known retailer who has recently gone bust)

This sucks! The knock on effect goes further than you would think. So sorry OP.

Just to say that (as well as your staff) I really feel for you. Make sure you take care of yourself.

glad to see you are telling them now

I was made redundant early Dec once and I heard a lot of "they should have done it after Xmas" - no way! Much better to have as much advance warning as possible.

What a decent thing to do, re the redundancy pay, and I’m so sorry that something you’ve obviously worked really hard for has gone under.

I would agree you’re doing the right thing by telling them before Christmas. It’s awful news at any time so getting as much notice as possible will hopefully give them more options.

You need to do what's best for the business - there is no good time for the employees

Poor you OP - and well done for asking advice and thinking of your employees.

I would want to know now so I can economize for Christmas. Otherwise you are telling them right before all the actual bills show up in January.

Give them a chance to get their UC claims started before the Christmas/New Year period fucks them up for even longer than usual.

I would be understanding if you told me before Xmas so I could replan.

I would be seething if I came back and found out you'd known before Xmas but decided it would be better for me to enjoy & spend discretionary£s knowing my "permanent" job was finished the day I return. That's not ok.

Glad you've listened and are being decent to your staff. I hope they appreciate your efforts.

Good luck with next steps. Onwards and upwards.

Definitely tell them now.

What a horrible dilemma! That's rotten for you and for them. The worst part of being the boss, IME.

Hope you - and they - find ,employment opportunities soon!!

I am so sorry. I too would tell them now. There are still more than 5 weeks until Christmas which will be key to job hunting and also to rein in festive spending.
If you tell them now, will you still plan to close on January 31st, or will it be sooner?

You poor thing, I really feel for you op and wanted to wish you a better year ahead.

im so sorry your having to do this.it cant be easy on your losing your business or them.i feel sick myself.
deff tell now.they will be spending on the assumption their pay will pay for it.
also for some they wikl be able to get some chrismtas jobs that always come out this time of year.and start looking for new ones.
i expect many will ask "why you could think of ruining chrismtas" but this is just an emotional reaction to a horrid circumstance.but if you explain to them like many pp have as to why you told them now then i think at least in time theyd be thankful they had time and knowledge.

Tell them now.

Tell people now. The sooner they know, the sooner they can look for new roles and it might be useful for them to know in terms of Xmas spending

redundancy is always shit (had it 3 times) - it does not really make it less bad when it's not just before Xmas.

Tell them right now. That way they can rein in Christmas plans. Worst option is telling them just before Christmas, because it ruins Christmas and is too late to reduce festive spending.

It's shit news so people will hate it regardless but from practical point of view delaying it just makes things worse.

and i never thought of what happens on such a ripple effect when those big comapnies sink.well i did but not like i have today.all the people who supply or work for them.wow.

These are adults who can deal with bad news also at this time of year. Don't infantilize them.

Definitely this.

If it were something that they couldn't do anything about, so a little longer in blissful ignorance, it would be kinder to wait.

For example, if you were talking to children and having to tell them that something bad and unavoidable was going to start happening in January/February, you'd only succeed in spoiling their Christmas by telling them beforehand, for no gain to them.

But, as PP have said, most people will splurge at Christmas and seek to pay it off in the following months' wages. It's only decent to tell them that, as it stands, those following months' wages won't be coming at all. They'd be much more disappointed to have run up debt that they're then stuck with than to have had a more moderate Christmas than they would have liked but with no debt hanging over them afterwards, once they're unemployed.

to you and your employees - very sorry you're all in this position. It sounds like you're a kind, caring boss, all thing considered.

You need to take the personal out of it, we made a few hundred people redundant a few years ago and as much as it was upsetting it needed to be done.

Advice I will offer is give as much support as you can, to help them into future employment.

Tell them as soon as. If you wait, as pp have said they may splurge on Christmas or book a holiday. When I was made redundant it took me a week or so to get my head round it, get my CV up to date and start talking to agencies. The more time they have to do that the more chance they have of getting a job by the time you close.

off subject slightly but its important - please for your own sake check the rules on any pension scheme you may have opened for them
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-50157515
this may not relate to you (I hope)

So sorry you have to go through that.

Of course tell them ASAP! It's always a bad time before Christmas, but frankly any time is bad. At least some of them might have a new job opportunity that will be gone in the new year, when everybody suddenly decides to change job (or what feels like it).

First it's a business, so you need to do what is best for you.
But then it's not kind to delay warning them, it's the absolute opposite.

Good luck, hope you can start your business over and turn it around.

Definitely tell them as soon as you can. As others have said, they can have a Christmas they can afford if they know now. If you tell them in January, you could be putting them in an absolutely dire position of not being able to afford their basic living costs because they have over spent now.

I feel for you though, what an awful position you are in through no fault of your own.