I’m about to be dismissed

[Firedgirl]

I’m in an unusual situation that I know that on Friday next week, I am going to be dismissed. I found out accidentally and they don’t know that I know. Everyone is behaving pretty normally and seems happy. and I’m expected to go in tomorrow and behave normally and get on with my work and hold meetings etc. I’m likely to be dismissed with immediate effect (pay in lieu of notice). I will be removed from the building immediately once they tell me due to security/information etc.

I’ve been at my company for over a year but less than 2 so it’s not really redundancy I guess. Nothing wrong with my work or performance it’s just like redundancy but since I’ve not been there two years I don’t really have those rights. I actually just got a payrise too!

anyone else been in this position? How on earth am I going to behave normally?! Any tips for what I need to ask when they “break the news” to me?

In banking etc people sometimes get abruptly terminated and walked out by security. No crime committed etc. I've seen it happen to two coworkers.

So sorry to hear you're in this position, it's so tough, you've done nothing wrong and you've worked hard. You must feel awful.
I hope you get more than the basic pay-off you are expecting.

oh and if you found out early and also about others, could that not be a data breach so again you'd have that as part of any complaint.

In your shoes

I would phone in with a doctors appointment or phone in sick for the day.

Then phone acas and find out what your rights are, so you can go in armed to this meeting

then see if you can gather any other information about your situation

go in armed on Tuesday or later after your "doctors appointment" Monday

You have the opportunity to go to the meeting knowing your rights, so they can't startle you.

I hope you feel somewhat better for being in the know first because these things can really knock you off balance when they spring it on you. If you didn't come to the information by nefarious means then I'd tell them that you know, hopefully you could have a week off and get started on job hunting.

Urgh I've been in this position. Except I also had a team fun day in the middle of my week of impending doom.
In hindsight I wish I'd spent the week cleaning my desk and tarting about aimlessly. That's what the time is really for imo, you'll be on OP. I think it's nicer someone let you know.

You'll be ok* not on

Wouldn't this affect you getting a new job?

To be honest, as someone who has struggled from direct discrimination, I no longer disclose a serious chronic illness because people mistakingly assume I'll use a lot of sick leave.

What you did was unprofessional and ethically bankrupt - not clever.

not going to lie i dont think i would be able to help myself, id have to call in sick for mental health and even potentially pregnancy as well and go Drs so that if they fired me i could potentially go for discrimination.

But OP doesn't have any rights beyond those in her contract, having been there less than 2 years. Unless she can prove she's being discriminated against which clearly doesn't seem to be the case.

Most people consider getting put on gardening leave or receiving pay in lieu of notice as a minor benefit in these situations.
PILON will allow you to start a new role immediately, gardening leave would be better if remaining employed helped with date a bonus was due or similar.

Personally I'd ride it out and use this week to make sure you have everything lined up properly.

All personal items taken home, any personal information removed from their devices, all project work saved to a shared location and work device completely wiped (including emails). Leave with a clean but professional slate, don't let them profit from your absence...but don't overstep and remove work that's been legitimately completed.

Print off all policies that affect you and keep them handy. Get details for how ex-employees access the pension scheme for future management of funds Get details on who provides reference.

Procrastinate any new tasks they'll benefit from when you've left (advance project planning etc) and just work to rule until the announcement.

Best of luck.

And then I would consider telling the others affected.

don't do this. If you do know other names, I'd mention this to my manager when i told them that i knew.

And don't prat about abusing discrimination law or self-certification. That is a dick move and will encourage the government to destroy even more workplace laws.

Be a grown-up. This happens. It is totally shit (I've had it happen 3 times). You will survive this. Your life/career trajectory will be impacted a little, but you must carry on. Look for a new position. Take the time to re-evaluate your life-plan. Review what you want to achieve in the short, medium and long-term, and so on. Do that self-help thing of making a negative into a positive.

But also be upset, angry, cry, shout, rail at the universe being sucky.

Can you be clear for the benefit of people wanting to help you here - are you in the UK? I've been through redundancy 6 times. In my experience companies that rarely go through redundancy programs are not always up to date with legislation and make mistakes. Ask for copies of anything that is read to you. I've won 2 cases for technical failures made during the redundancy process. Don't assume that your employer knows the right way to dismiss, lay-off, sack or conduct a redundancy program.

I think maybe it’s not what it seems in your op.

how many staff are being laid off?

This is terrible advice and makes it much harder for people who are disabled or pregnant at work.

Do you realise discrimination cases require a lot of evidence?

This. I was once in that position except I didn't find out in advance, I was just told on the Friday afternoon when the bosses asked me to stay behind. They said I could work the month's notice if I wanted to but I didn't have to, they'd understand if I didn't want to and I'd still get paid. Needless to say, I didn't want to. I didn't like the way they did it with no warning- we had no idea redundancies were even on the cards.

Be very careful about following some of the ‘advice’ here.

If your company will require you to leave the building immediately they tell you this news, then this will be to protect their client list or to ensure you can’t take revenge action during a notice period. Therefore, doing anything along those lines now would be very dangerous and possibly lead to a dismissal for gross misconduct, rather than being laid off. Future employers will look at those things very differently.

Given the above, there’s no way you have this information legitimately. If it comes out that you knew in advance and didn’t tell management (and these things do have a habit of coming out, make no mistake), then any adverse repercussions might well be blamed on you. Client list suddenly in use elsewhere? Some sort of confidential info which another of your colleagues took illegitimately? Well, firedgirl had access to that info - she must have taken it with her. If, as it appears, you’re in a regulated industry, you can kiss goodbye to getting another job with any decent company.

The right and best thing to do, especially if you have this info legitimately, is to go in tomorrow, tell them you know, ask them for an additional week’s gardening leave to start looking for another role, and see if you can negotiate an enhanced payoff.

All these people suggesting OP tell them about a protected characteristic are either completely stupid or joking, and I don’t think joking is really helping the OP. She won’t be able to claim discrimination as they’ll clearly be able to show their intent to terminate her employment prior to hearing about her supposed protected characteristic.

Is this really how you view people with protected characteristics in the workplace? How offensive

OP I wouldn’t call in sick as sickness can be included in a reference, start job hunting in the evenings. Do the bare minimum at work and I know it’ll be difficult, but try and get through this week

In banking etc people sometimes get abruptly terminated and walked out by security. No crime committed etc. I've seen it happen to two coworkers.

Retail too, and January is notorious for retrenching after lower than hoped Christmas sales and rents due.

You go in on Monday and make sure all personal items are gone (you do it quietly without people noticing).

You make sure you clear your e-mails (delete button, not by actually processing them). Tuesday you go sick, you spend time at home working on your CV, update linkedin, start contacting job agencies/headhunters and etc. Maybe take Wednesday too. Then back to work, make sure you have brought back all work property, log on to your personal email if you can and keep job searching, responding to opportunities and applying for stuff. Doesn't matter if you are working or not. Friday, don't have anything with you, easier to make an exit.

a few days sick wont matter.

@Firedgirl

I'm sorry. I hope your industry is otherwise doing well & getting another job isn't too difficult for you. Plus that you have enough savings to tide you over until you do!

there's a lot of misinformation & bad advice on here. be careful what advice/'I'd do xyz' you listen to!

best of luck!!

If they provide your phone and you are allowed to use it for personal calls, then buy a new phone and update your contact details. I knew someone who lost their job in a similar way, but unlike you he had no advance notice. He was escorted out with his box of belongings but they took his phone so he couldn’t even call his wife to get a lift from the station with his box.

There is meant to be a process for lay-offs / redundancies. And being there for less than 2 years means you have fewer rights, but not none. Ring ACAS. As it seems they are not doing that, I would do roughly what Bakeacaketoday73 has said. Stay quiet. Smile. Be nice. But your focus now is getting your stuff out of the building, deleting your intellectual property and applying for jobs. The recent pay rise will be helpful in getting better pay in your next role. Hold your head high and remember that it is not you or your fault.