Just been made redundant - what are my rights ?

[ohdeeri]

I’ve just been made redundant, along with a bunch of others in my company.

It’s the first time and there were no signs this was about to happen. I also don’t know the reasons yet, I have my chat next week.

I am very pissed off. I’ve been there for less than a year.

I am in business development and my team and I were opening a new territory. We had an extremely lengthy ramp up period - of 1 and a half years. This was because we were seen as ‘ pioneering ‘ a new market. So a lot of our role was about creating noise, understanding the dynamics of the new market, as well as closing business in the new market. We worked extremely hard on this and identified gaps our product had in the market, as well as ways we could potentially overcome them. We also signed up new customers. We were told several times that we were pioneers and part of our role was to find out what is going on etc.

I was on the cusp of signing a massive contract and now I’ve just been dropped. Most people in my team have been made redundant, except one.

I am absolutely fuming. Is there anything I can actually do ? I won’t get any of the money for the contract I was about to get a signature on ( that was absolutely huge ). And I think I’ll get a minimum payment of one month pay.

I can go in more detail if required. But is there even any point in contacting a solicitor ? Or can they do what they want here ?

In terms of you "getting something out of them" it does. I fell your pain, my workplace shut my site down when I was a week off 2 years. Unfortunately they owe you zero, deal or not. You can't just decide oh I'm a disabled woman so I'll go for discrimination

It’s not dead in the water. My commission is dead but the deal is closing. They’ve kept one team member. So..

but what is up with you ? Do you mean to be like this?

I'm not sure why you are so angry at the business OP times are tough lots of businesses are having to make difficult decisions. I can understand being upset but don't get the wanting to make them pay emotion.

Whilst I'm sure there's some leadership teams that do it for dodgy reasons most of the time the redundancies I've been involved in are about protecting the business so as many as possible can stay employed. Redundancies can cost quite a lot so aren't done on a whim.

I hope you find something else.

I haven’t decided I’m doing anything - but they deserve it. They broke all their promises.

This isn’t that uncommon. People brought in to build the business and then let go just before the time that legal rights kick in. Being female and disabled doesn’t give you some sort of claim angle, when you’ve pointed out several times you’re getting or about to get the same treatment as the men - e.g. so no one is treating you differently, I appreciate it must all still feel very very unfair when you’ve been working hard for them. even if it isn’t from a legal perspective. You could ask them if there are any redundancy avoidance options you could consider. Sometimes there are other jobs, lower levels of jobs etc that they may consider as an alternative to losing your job.

have a look at your contract - do you have a non compete clause?

I know this is horrible news to receive but your reaction is a bit extreme.
Everyone goes through redundancies, it's a very worrying time but it inevitably turns out OK, you move on and find something else.
Please don't let anger consume you and a need to get back at them. These are business decisions that are made in every company every day.
As for getting paid for the deal that was about to go through, you have been paid since you started for the work you have been contributing.
Just get your CV updates and get looking, good luck.

In a former job I spoke to too many people in comparable situations.
Due to your length of service your options are limited unfortunately as other PPs have mentioned. Could be worth looking into the collective consultation aspect as has been advised though. Decent info about it on Acas’ website for example - https://www.acas.org.uk/collective-consultation-redundancy
In my experience employers can be prepared to risk not following the rules for collective consultation when there is no recognised union involved.

I wanted to post I’m aware of cases that shouldn’t have but did go the distance to full employment tribunal hearings where the claimant alleged either discrimination or they had been automatically unfair dismissed (where you don’t need 2 years’ service). Tribunals seem to be increasingly reluctant to strike out these sorts of claims, even where it seems pretty obvious the claims are unfounded, at preliminary hearing stage and especially if the claimant is representing themselves.

I don’t want to raise your expectations unduly. However, there would be nothing stopping you going through Acas Early Concilation (which is free) and see if the employer would agree to a settlement on a commercial basis. In other words where they’ll pay you a bit of money (may only be several hundred poinds) to go away and avoid paying more in legal fees defending claims even where they have limited chance of succeeding.
EDIT: If you were to decide to try this, my best advice is go on with a mindset that they could just say no but even if you could get something out of the process it’s better than nothing. They’re probably going to be unlikely to agree to pay out five figures or more!

If the circumstances could fit a failure to collectively consult though. I’d definitely pursue that.

I don’t think it’s extreme at all. I’ve just wasted my fucking time for months working all hours and now it just gets stripped away from me? From one day to the next ? I would have got a massive pay out. Now? Fuck all ? And it looks bad on my CV too ! Why have you only been there 9 months, they ask ? Ah I was made redundant. Ah ok, sounds like you didn’t choose your job very well then, doesn’t it. That’s what some recruiters will throw at me. They’ll turn it into a ‘ me ‘ problem.

Thanks @Sladuf1 i will have a look at this.

She’s not finding your posts helpful, so I would just back off for a bit.

OP, were you due any commission from signing the deal?

Times are tough, our company is going through redundancies just now too, all cost cutting, and funding for many initiatives for the 2nd half of this year are being drastically cut until conditions (hopefully) improve, head counts are being slashed to save cash.

I was at risk but fortunate not be be selected (this time, I don't feel secure at all) but one of my colleagues was. My colleague is on a visa and unless she finds another role does not have leave to remain and she and her teenage kids (who have spent over 3 years in the English school system) will need to leave the UK so quickly.

We are all just numbers at the end of the day. I've been through redundancy before and it never feels fair, it always stirs up feelings of hopelessness at no control, uncertainty and anger. Take care of yourself.

@Sladuf1so is this essentially saying that we should have had some sort of idea about the upcoming redundancies via a representative or trade union ?

I have worked in HR and recruitment for years, I've never seen anyone look at a mass redundancy as a 'me problem', we all understand this happens regularly, not once would I think 'well she hasn't choose a job wisely'.
You're spiralling and need to see it for what it is, unfortunate, worrying but not unusual.
You wernt wasting your time for months, you were doing the job you were being paid for for months.
If you don't think your reaction is extreme do you think everyone who is made redundant everyday should be this angry about it? Surely people who have given everything to a business for 20 years should be angrier than you?
I'm not trying to minimise how upsetting and worrying this is for you but the anger is disproportionate.

Surely if you get the deal signed before you leave, you'll still get that commission? As you haven't yet been made officially redundant, I can't see that they can take the contract away from you until you are. So you must have until your meeting to get it signed. I wouldn't think it legal to take you off it just before it closes when you're still fully employed, then make you redundant the following week.

I’ve been made redundant 4 times in my working life, it sucks so much when you’ve not personally done anything wrong, although every time I’ve been in the Company for more than the statutory period. The best payout was when we had a union for our warehouse employees and us office staff got the same payout.

It’s tough op but as the others say, it’s not personal and there’s nothing you can do. I don’t think future employers would look badly upon your 9 months - redundancy is a valid reason for having to finish a job and employers understand that. I work for a large corporate that makes a ton of money and there is still a huge redundancy programme going on - there’s a lot of it at the moment. Good luck finding a new job - I’m sure your skills and experience will be valued

I don't think any recruiter will look at it like that.

You had a role, that role no longer exists. It sounds like you did good things in that role, you talk about that in the interview and that once the contract was close to being signed the team was no longer required as the company was then established in their chosen market and no longer required a BD team.

I don't think any interviewer would take that as any reflection on you - other than that you were so good at your job you were no longer required.

I don’t think you have any right to tell me anything is disproportionate, based on a couple of posts tbh.

who do you think you are to go around telling people they’re too angry about anything ? I’m going to be angry for a bit and that’s fine. I don’t wish well on my employers and it makes me angry right now. I may feel better later, but now I feel let down and I am fuming.

In your meeting, you could ask what they intend to do about the deal that is about to be signed as it was mostly your team's work.

Is there a clause in your contract for bonuses or production targets? What about a consultation period?

Presumably you have access to work documents, so use the time to get policy documents, but call ACAs to see if there is a potential claim for loss of wages.

So crack yourself open a bottle of wine and order a takeaway. Start your job hunt tomorrow, breathe tonight, good luck.

Sounds like they want to close the deal but maybe not pay anyone a bonus or keep them on.

Thank you ! Yes that’s what I’ll do.

yes I have targets and commission, which makes up 50 percent of my pay. It’s a massive thing not to get paid out.

I will bring this up in the meeting.

Yup !

It’s a huge deal for the company. It’s that large that it’s on everyone’s radar. It just doesn’t seem right.