Husband failed interview for own job, panicking!

[UpsetAtInterview]

Name changed for this one. My husband has been on fixed term contracts for 4 years and interviews came up for permanent positions. He placed high in last years interviews and just missed out on a job, but the wait list ran out so there was a new round in interviews. He was in a pissy mood leading up to it, annoyed at having to re-interview again. He just found out he failed the interview. We're now facing a cliff edge financially as we can't get by on just my wage and his contract finishes in 6 weeks.

I'm so angry at him. I was the breadwinner until our first child turned two. Then he got this job and it was great, he doubled his salary just as the cost of living increase hit so we were okay. I worked so hard for years, I even did interviews heavily pregnant to get us in a good position financially and he's just thrown it all away because he couldn't get out of his own way and actually apply himself for a few days. He didn't take the prep seriously and was blindsided in the interview.

He's devastated, doesn't want to go back to work for last few weeks of his contract, doesn't want to complete his remaining projects. I am trying to comfort him and can see he's emotionally fragile but I just want to scream at him 'Why did you let us down? Why didn't you do the work to make sure your family is looked after?'. I wouldn't mind if he tried his best and it didn't work out, but he didn't. Am I unreasonable to be so angry? Should I tell him? Should I just try and help him get a new job first?

I think this is where the in sickness and in health part comes in. He fucked up, he knows it, I'm not sure what good can come of being angry....firm/stern yes about what he now needs to do, but no point having a go at what's done. Jobs are jobs.

Shouldn’t he be entitled to some redundancy pay after four years if there is no work for him ? Like PP have said, after four years he becomes a “ perm “ employee in terms of rights?

People on contracts are consistently messed about with promises of permanent jobs that never materialise. But he needs to go back in and finish the projects because he is contracted to do so. Hopefully your husband finds something else very soon.

@UpsetAtInterview just wondering whether your husband has made any progress with this?

Thanks for checking in. He took some time to work from home and had a good chat with his line manager. He told my husband that his post is secure till the end of September, which is a relief for now. He also raised the issue of his 4 year service and quietly advised him to send an email stating this and it will get the ball rolling. No idea where it will end up but it's something.

I thought after 4 years FTC you automatically become a permanent employee.

Sadly you are being unreasonable, possibly cruel. I have seen this behaviour amongst colleagues and myself. The endless drip of office politics and gut wrenching anxiety about supporting your family and a future just takes a massive toll. Top management are totally aware of this and use it knowingly. Their motivation may simply be a desire to lower the age of their employee statistics profile.
Essentially, I think your husband may have been broken to some degree or other. He needs as much love and caring as you can give. And no, he would not be able to talk to even his spouse over such matters of survival.

I think that that the 'permanent after 4 years' thing might be the exact reason why the organization is doing this: to prevent too many people from becoming permanent. It wouldn't surprise me if OP's husband had in fact been there, say,one week less than 4 years. I know of organizations which would take people on and then sack them a few days before they'd reached the 2-year mark that would have given them the right to appeal.

Very bad of an employers to put their staff in this position. Its just a way of getting round employment laws. Ok, there are many jobs that just last for a finite amount of time, but to have to keep re-applying for what is, effectively, a permanent job is an appalling way to treat people. N ot to mention the time and money wasted by the whole situation, management having to go through such a pointless exercise on a regular basis, and the same for the staff. Instead of actually getting on with the job. Its often a way for over-staffed management to "justify their own existence".

That's positive at least. Bit of a buffer and time to see whether he gets made permanent. I think he would probably be best looking elsewhere at this point. Good luck to both of you x

That would make sense. I reckon DH should still look into it - it sounds like his direct line manager likes him & has reassured him. It’s probably the overall manager who had final say.
At least you have a few months to sort things out.
It must create a horrible atmosphere when half the team get accepted & then the other half know they are being let go.

I hate that bloody phrase "over qualified". How the AF can you be over qualified for anything? You'd think someone with loads of experience would be a bonus, wouldn't you?

Think it's went up to 7 years before they have to offer you permanent job or let you go ridiculous

You can appeal any sacking, you just don't (in most cases) have the right to an employment tribunal until two year service.

A company I worked for sacked someone a month after their probation ended. They appealed, a more senior manager heard it and reinstated them in a separate part of the business.

You don’t interview people for their own jobs unless either you have decided to remove them ‘without cause’ (to use the Americanism) or you are merging two businesses / departments and eliminating consequent duplication. Rather unfair to blame the individual in this case.

Not true in the case of the CS. Someone can be temporary promoted or temporary contract for a period of time and still need to go through the process.

A few years ago I was responsible for setting up a
team within an ALB. I was given budget to go through a recruitment agency and managed to find some amazing people from private sector - rather than jaded CS staff looking for their next grade jump.

they all had 23 month FTC which kept them under threshold, but just as these were coming to close, all roles were advertised externally.

I pointed the team to so many resources about the process and encouraged them to find mentors or anyone to look over their applications. I also stressed that the panel would be me plus two randoms and that 100% process would be followed.

two team members absolutely thought they had it in the bag. One never even made it through the application stage, and the other answered the panel questions dreadfully.

My heart sank as I’d told them all at length that it’s a process, it’s a bit shit but they had to study the dark art of CS recruitment.

some colleagues remarked what a shame it was to lose them and couldn’t I have been nicer, but there was nothing further I could do. Still annoys me today

Yes this sounds exactly like what happened.
I have little patience for people who don’t use the resources they have to prepare.

It seems so harsh to reinterview for a job you’ve already been doing for four years successfully ( as his contract has been renewed each time) How awful for him and your family

Gosh I can imagine how much that must have knocked his confidence and embarrassed him. I wouldn’t want to go back either