New job could I be made redundant??

[ShootingStarsinthesky]

Hi, I wonder if any of you have any ideas please.

I started a new job 2 weeks ago. I am only working 14.5 hours as I am working the hours that were dropped by one of the other secretaries. However, she says there is a possibility that the reason she dropped her hours may not go ahead and if that happens she will need to get another job to replace the hours she gave up as she will need the money.

She has never suggested taking back her hours and making me redundant of course (she is not the boss) but is this possible? Any ideas please.

Has she permanently reduced her hours at work to take up an opportunity else where? In which case its tough luck - the company has no requirement to give her the hours back.
If she has moved internally, it might be a little more tricky if they no longer need the extra hours, but it isn't a given that it would be you that goes.

They can't make you redundant - only the job. Redundant means that the job no longer exists - so they can't make you redundant and give the hours back to her.

However, if you have less than 2 years there, it's irrelevant - they can terminate your employment without giving a reason (provided it's not discriminatory e.g. because you're pregnant). So it is possible they could do that. Whether they would - well, a good employer wouldn't...

Yes there is a possibility they might dismiss you in order to allow this lady to increase her hour again. If she's a valued employee who knows the job inside out it would be strange if they didn't at least consider it. There's not a lot you can do, other than be valuable and hard working in the hope they want to keep you.

Yes, Flowery she is a valued employee she has worked there for 9 years. Also, I don't know if it makes any difference Lord Emsworth but I haven't signed a contract yet only an Offer Letter which I signed and returned before commencing the job.

so they can't make you redundant and give the hours back to her

Rubbish. An employer is entitled to amalgamate two roles and make one of the employees redundant to reduce costs. In this case the part time job would no longer exist as it would have been amalgamated with another role.

In any case the OP has only been with the company 2 weeks and therefore does not have any employment protection. Provided the reason for dismissal is non-discriminatory they can get rid of her at any time.

Wow it seems to be an employers world at the moment!

"Wow it seems to be an employers world at the moment"

Did you expect more rights at two weeks in then OP?

"Did you expect more rights at two weeks in then OP?"

No flowery I did not expect anymore rights after 2 weeks and as luck would have it I didn't give up a job to take this one and don't desperately need the money or I would be more upset if I lost the job. It would be pretty lousy of them though if it happens to be in an industry where paths and people frequently cross in the area that I live so would not look good for their business.

Well it would be lousy for you yes. But if the alternative is losing a valued employee of 9 years if she can't find a job to fit in around her reduced hours, it would be perfectly understandable of them.

Oh well if they ask me to go I will get another job. Thank you for all your messages.

Of course they can make her redundant. Whether she gets a payment is a separate issue. Yes the job is redundant but if they can't redeploy her SHE becomes redundant. I work in HR and have a situation at the moment where a manager recruited someone to a role before the previous person had contractually changed (they went on a sabbatical and were supposed to be returning part time). Well now she wants to come back full time to her old job and we will have to put the two of them at risk of redundancy and select one out (probably the new one, it will be done on an interview).
Obviously a big cock up but the managers will probably find some way to talk their way out of it so that they are not visibly to blame.

So maggiethemagpie is it true that a job can still exist but you can be made redundant? I'm sure you know much more than me but I always thought that you could not be made redundant if the job still existed?

They have separated the full time job into two part time jobs and given you one of them.

If they decide that it is better to have one full time post (i.e the woman wants her hours back and they want her) they can make your post redundant and give the full time post to her.

Shooting stars, if the job still exists but there are more people available than needed then you would have to put all the people doing that job in a pool and select out the redundant one. So in the case I mentioned there is a pool of 2, for one job and the person who does not get the job is redundant. You are supposed to use a fair and transparent selection method, such as interviews or assessment but it's pretty easy for managers to fudge the scoring to pick who they want IME.