Redundancy

[Dilbertian]

We're in redundancy consultation at work. The restructuring is going to be substantial.

I've not been in this position before, and I have a question about a social aspect of it.

We always celebrate leavers, have a collection, give gifts and make a fuss of them, especially when they've been working here for a long time. And this has always been a really good place to work, so people do stay here.

So what will happen for those of us who leave due to the redundancies? Some will no doubt take voluntary redundancy, but others will be leaving when they're not ready to go.

It must depend on the company but when I’ve seen them before they’re barely even mentioned - in one day and then never return, no work handed over etc. Real pain in the bum!

That's horrible.

Bad enough to be made redundant, but not to have any acknowledged either...

These were definitely not the most touchy-feely of companies in fairness! Though when people left “normally” there would be a speech and a card / present.

What happened to us was... nothing.

Actually, worse than nothing.

A month earlier, one of the big bosses left to go to another job. All the other bosses at the same level and the level below went for a goodbye breakfast with her from 9-12 on a working day. No problem with that. Everyone paid for themselves and she paid for a glass of bucks fizz each. She was good at her job and a nice person and we happily covered until they returned to the offices. We also all contributed to her leaving gift and wrote in her card etc.

When we knew that 10 of us in our base would be made redundant, one of the middle managers negotiated an affordable price for afternoon tea for us at a neighbouring hotel. It was from 3.30-5 so that we would be out before they started evening meals. Our core hours are until 4pm and she booked it for our last day at work. Our direct boss, who had been at the morning brunch just weeks earlier, cancelled the booking and told us we all had to work until 4pm. The injustice still rankles years later.

As it turned out, the removal men (office closing since part of the restructuring was to reduce office space) turned up - unexpectedly to us - at 11am on our last day and we had no desks or chairs by 2pm. A couple of us nipped out to Waitrose (we felt we deserved it) and bought party picnic food and paper plates etc and we spent our last two hours having a defiant picnic together on the office floor.

Our boss, who had cancelled the tea, did not come to the office that day, there was no collection or cards for us, and she never emailed or thanked us. I had worked there 17 years, as had several others.

I still see her occasionally at conferences etc and I can barely look at her - a breathtaking lack of humanity or care, in my opinion.

It depends on the circumstances - if just a few are going they might becquite upset with those of you staying and not in the mood for your card.....but if there is still good feeling then a card and a gift go a long way to making people feel loved.

A joint lunch can be nice if lots are leaving.

It's grim. I've no idea what is going to happen to me. But if I were to be made redundant I would certainly want the fact the I had been part of this work 'community' for nearly ten years to be recognised. Even if it were to be more of a wake than a party! I don't want just to disappear. OTOH maybe those who remain may feel too uncomfortable to acknowledge the situation. Though that seems akin to the people who cross the road to avoid the 'awkwardness ' of greeting a bereaved person.

@Scarby9

What happened to us was... nothing.

Actually, worse than nothing.

A month earlier, one of the big bosses left to go to another job. All the other bosses at the same level and the level below went for a goodbye breakfast with her from 9-12 on a working day. No problem with that. Everyone paid for themselves and she paid for a glass of bucks fizz each. She was good at her job and a nice person and we happily covered until they returned to the offices. We also all contributed to her leaving gift and wrote in her card etc.

When we knew that 10 of us in our base would be made redundant, one of the middle managers negotiated an affordable price for afternoon tea for us at a neighbouring hotel. It was from 3.30-5 so that we would be out before they started evening meals. Our core hours are until 4pm and she booked it for our last day at work. Our direct boss, who had been at the morning brunch just weeks earlier, cancelled the booking and told us we all had to work until 4pm. The injustice still rankles years later.

As it turned out, the removal men (office closing since part of the restructuring was to reduce office space) turned up - unexpectedly to us - at 11am on our last day and we had no desks or chairs by 2pm. A couple of us nipped out to Waitrose (we felt we deserved it) and bought party picnic food and paper plates etc and we spent our last two hours having a defiant picnic together on the office floor.

Our boss, who had cancelled the tea, did not come to the office that day, there was no collection or cards for us, and she never emailed or thanked us. I had worked there 17 years, as had several others.

I still see her occasionally at conferences etc and I can barely look at her - a breathtaking lack of humanity or care, in my opinion.

That is shockingly awful - to not even say thank you?? It’s inhuman.

In my last workplace, just after I left, quite a few members of our team were made redundant including some really long standing employees (20 years plus) - I think having the opportunity to share stories/memories was good, and lots of people wrote in with thank yous and stuff which made them realise how valued they were (even if management didn’t agree). I think be guided by what those being made redundant want - some people did want a leaving-type thing, others were understandably angry and didn’t want anything done.

I was made redundant after over 20 years and got absolutely nothing.
I arranged lunchtime drinks in a local pub on my last day there but it wasn't the way I expected to leave after so many years.
And then someone else who was at a similar senior level and had been there about the same amount of time as me had the speech and gift etc (he was also made redundant) it just rubbed salt in the wound.