To wish DH boss hadn’t mentioned redundancy.

[Isitbedtimeyet4]

DH has gotten home from work and announced that his manager has told him the business is looking to do redundancies.
There is so actual plan in place so I can’t get any more information and now I’m really worried, why couldn’t he have just kept his mouth shut until plans had be drawn up and questions could be answered?

My DH isn’t overly worried, he thinks his work record/secure job role should keep him pretty safe and even if the worst happened that he’d be able to find another job quite quickly.. but I think you never know, especially considering the current situation!
AIBU to be really pissed off at his manager, my DH is in a supervisory role and said they haven’t told many people, only him and the other supervisor. But surely you don’t say anything until you know what’s happening because redundancies really effect people’s lives!

He's a supervisor - he'll be needed to deal with the people who are at risk when it happens, which he won't be able to do if he's only got the news at the same time as them.

YABU. It's shit, but it's his job to know.

@MitziK I hadn’t actually thought of it from that angle, that could also suggest he may not be at risk as much as others I suppose? Or am I just being hopeful?
We’re due a baby in five weeks and honestly I’m terrified he could lose his job not long after!

I would think that the fact the manager has only told your DH and the other supervisor is a positive sign for your DH’s job. The people he supervises may be the ones in trouble sadly.

*He's a supervisor - he'll be needed to deal with the people who are at risk when it happens, which he won't be able to do if he's only got the news at the same time as them.

YABU. It's shit, but it's his job to know*
I fully agree with this.

There are redundancies coming at DH's work, won't be firm news until September probably. Of course we've talked about it, I wouldn't want to think of him keeping that worry to himself.

Although he works for a big company that was in the news last week announcing redundancies, so it would have been pretty hard to keep quiet!

It is also a legal requirement for employers to meaningfully consult over redundancies so they cannot wait for it be a 'done deal' before they start exploring it with the staff and indeed it seems appropriate to start the conversation with senior staff etc.

I'm sorry, OP- my DH also had an email yesterday notifying him that the company will need to make redundancies, and then later a phone call from his supervisor explaining a bit more. I mean, DH is still furloughed so this comes as no great shock to me, but it still feels horrible.

Best of luck to you

1. His job requires him to know
2. You have extra time to be cautious and plan...time other employees won't have.

It sucks, but it could suck more.

I understand that they legally have to tell people, but honestly I assumed that they had to have an idea before telling people. At the moment they can’t answer any questions, there’s no plan for when consultations will begin, no idea of how they will decide and whether they may close a department that hasn’t been as profitable as other departments. They literally know nothing and it just makes me nervous!

Thanks for the replies though, we’ve made friends with a lot of his colleagues so I’m really dreading this whole process because I don’t want anyone to have to go through this!

Another reason to make your DH aware is that they may be looking for voluntary redundancies - ie people who were thinking of retiring, moving job etc and may be willing to take a package and leave.

As a supervisor he may know people in his team who would be interested.

It maybe a deliberate plan to encourage staff to start looking for alternative jobs.

Forewarned is forearmed in my opinion.

@Mintjulia that’s a very good point actually! He has mentioned someone who fits in those categories previously as they were asking about redundancy a month or two ago.

It's entirely normal for businesses to announce that redundancies will be necessary before the plans are in place. Keeps shareholders happier also. And something that a lot of us in volatile industries have to go through fairly regularly.

YABU

My husband is a senior manager in a very global company so expect it to hit the news soon that there will be redundancies there. He has been told he is okay (in line for promotion when his boss retires in 3 years) but other managers are being made redundant and DH will have to make many of his team redundant.

The criteria DH Is using for selection is to score them on things like: lots of sicknesses (unless eg disability / cancer / pregnancy related), lots of lateness, performance issues, having had a disciplinary warning (unspent).

So things like that could make someone more at risk.

I think anyone placed on furlough is at risk of redundancies TBH. I'm in the public sector and we have a non compulsory redundancy agreement but I fully expect voluntary redundancies over the next year or so.

IME companies will do things like this when looking for voluntary redundancies. Some people may prefer to jump rather than be pushed, if the are offered a reasonable deal. Once that step is out the way the company can take a look at the situation again and see if they need to make more redundancies and if so where, depending on who's left already.

V unfortunate this has happened, but YABU.

As a supervisor of course he is likely to be told of plans. When it happened at my place managers and supervisors knew for weeks what may happen and had to keep quiet. But perhaps he shouldn’t have told you!

I think YABU - if he hadn't told you then just dumped the news on you when it happened you would (rightly) say you had no time to prepare. Better to know in advance and take steps so you are ok.

This is the downside of management. If redundancies are on the cards, he has to know about it, whether there's a plan in place or not.

It's not nice, but that's why managers get paid more!

Directors will be exploring with managers what level of staff they may need for future work. Fairly standard stuff.

I think most non public sector employees are aware that redundancies are possible at the moment aren't they? We should all have that possibility in mind and at least consider what our options might be. It's normal for managers to be told first ime

As a supervisor, would your husband have been happier to hear the news at the same time as his team?
From what you have said, I think the employer is acting reasonably in forewarning senior staff that may have to be involved in delivering the message or managing the welfare of their team members once the scheme is formally announced.

Is it really that much of a surprise any way?

It's not nice news, but YABU. I've worked on programs where they don't tell folk until all is decided, and you see the same emotional reactions as you'll see when notice is given. You can't please everyone sadly.

It's just never nice news and you can't account for the emotional style and needs of everyone involved, much less the emotional needs of each employee's spouse, etc. On balance, giving people lots of notice means that they can make better decisions.

Just imagine if your DH was going to go out and buy an expensive car / kitchen / holiday on finance. Would you not prefer to know now, so that he does not go and get a huge loan and then possibly lose his job in 28 days?