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Original poster

How many times have you been made redundant?

136 replies

iloveallcats3 · 22/06/2023 11:37

I have an eternal fear of being made redundant. I was made redundant when I was 26 and one of the most stressful things to have ever happened to me, and knocked my confidence massively.

I have a feeling it may happen again in my current role and I just can't go through it again. I'm only in my early 30s, so god knows how many times I'll face it in my working life.

OP posts:
BestIsWest · 22/06/2023 21:02

Once at 47. I worked for a large American company and everyone in the team was put at risk of redundancy every quarter for about three years. In the end it got so stressful that I asked them to give me a quote for voluntary redundancy and took it. Was lucky enough to get a similar job within a couple of months.

EarringsandLipstick · 22/06/2023 21:03

deckstew · 22/06/2023 17:34

Twice. The last time was while I was on mat leave and was hugely traumatic, it was illegal and I fought hard for a fairer payout more commensurate with their actions but gave up after three months of utter hell. I was hugely invested in the business I worked for, both in terms of time and my emotions, and coming to terms with the fact these people I saw as friends and confidantes just turned against me - it was awful. I will never invest so much of myself in a job again.

This resonates with me. I equally was hugely invested in my job & the company - honestly I saw them as family. I worked above & beyond - including while in labour with DC1
🤦🏻‍♀️

I did swear I'd never be so invested again but I've given too much of myself in my current role too, though I think I might eventually have learnt to achieve a bit more balance!

NoTouch · 22/06/2023 21:17

Once, after a few restructures over 6 years was made redundant after 25 years service, age 44. I was terrified. I got roughly a years salary as a payout and started another job 6 weeks later for 2/3 of the wages which was tough. It was a 6 month temp contact back filling for someone and after applying for internal vacancies I am still here 10 years later earning nearly 3 times my previous company's salary. Dunny paid off a huge chunk of the mortgage.

If I can hang on here for another 5-6 years until ds is through uni and fully launched a pay off would probably let me retire early.

Rainbow1901 · 22/06/2023 21:23

Twice! The first time because the company relocated and I didn't want to commute to the new location. The second time because my college closed down!!

iatealltheminieggs · 22/06/2023 21:27

At threat from it 4 times. Made redundant once, when I was pregnant. Fun!

LouLou198 · 22/06/2023 21:31

Once, I was in my 30's and 20 weeks pregnant. It was an awful time, really knocked my confidence and took me a while to recover from. One of the reasons I am now self employedSmile

Oblomov23 · 22/06/2023 21:32

Once atm. Not pleasant but not stressful.

EarringsandLipstick · 22/06/2023 21:46

It's sobering how many of us have been made redundant while pregnant. 😢

(In my case, it was done 'legally' but yet it was clear I was chosen as any later & I'd have been protected by my maternity leave. It was long-term a blessing in disguise but I'm not sure I'll ever quite get over leaving with my box of belongings, & navigating my bump as I carried it.)

StarDolphins · 22/06/2023 21:51

Once and I was really upset about it. Heartbroken infact. Before I had my DD, the thought of losing any job made me upset.

Personally now, I couldn’t care less. Absolutely not important to me. My DD, her happiness & health & my health & happiness are the only things that concern me. I’d just get another job.

Crikeyalmighty · 22/06/2023 21:52

Never

LittleBumblebee3 · 22/06/2023 22:02

Once. Aged 22 😅

Had just gone FT at what had been my PT uni job and signed a new lease on my lovely city centre flat in Glasgow. Plan was to work FT in that role and live my best city girl life while looking for graduate jobs etc 🤣

Reality…sat the last of my finals on Wednesday, celebrated LOTS 🍾 went in to work still hungover on Friday morning to find out we’d all been made redundant with immediate effect! I’d been there 3 weeks less than the cut off point to receive any kind of pay out etc 🙈 that day was the last day that I could break the new lease without it costing me money so I literally left my work, went round to the letting agent and got myself out of the lease 🙈 then had no idea what to do so I phoned friends and went to the pub 🙈🤣

LlynTegid · 22/06/2023 22:03

Five times. Four times found another job in the company concerned, one of which was lower pay.

Beaverbridge · 22/06/2023 22:10

Twice, first time I was age 34. Great payout, cleared all debt. Got a job 5 weeks later, hated it, thought it, ll do for a year or so. 19 years later, got made redundant from it. Had plenty warning, so had something lined up to go to. Supposedly part time, turned full time after two weeks. Now retired. Both redundancies were the best thing that happened.

Mum2jenny · 22/06/2023 22:11

Twice

LadyGaGasPokerFace · 22/06/2023 22:12

Never. But if where I work they offered I’d, I wouldn’t say no. Getting a bit tired of the place.

Tormundsbeard · 22/06/2023 22:19

3 times. With hindsight it has always been a good thing.

TheHennaHairedHarridan · 22/06/2023 22:27

Twice but both were voluntary as I had planned to leave soon anyway so just benefitted from the payout.

I have also been through some restructures which were a lot more stressful as I didn't want to leave at that point.

deckstew · 22/06/2023 23:22

It's absolutely awful isn't it @EarringsandLipstick? An absolutely horrific thing to do to a woman in such a vulnerable place (they delivered the news to me on a 'catch up' zoom call while breastfeeding my 8 week old baby). The head of hr was a mum with a young child, knowing how sneaky and underhand they were with not only the redundancy but the bullying that followed after, I really wonder how she sleeps at night.

Hope you've moved on to bigger and better things!

lostparcel · 23/06/2023 06:57

Twice. First was horrible and very hard. The second time I knew it was not the end of the world and I would cope.

At the moment there are lots of companies desperate to recruit people. If you are made redundant you will get another job but may not be something you really want to begin with.

The second time I was made redundant I changed careers. It took a couple of years to decide what I wanted to do but to be honest it's a more rewarding job than I had before.

Take care.

FatAgainItsLettuceTime · 23/06/2023 09:04

For anyone looking into a new career or trying to decide what path to take can I just point out that currently women only make up 18% of the UK workforce in the CyberSecurity industry and 50% of cyber security roles are currently vacant. It's such an understaffed and high priority recruitment area at the moment that companies like ISC2 are offering free professional certifications, Microsoft and Google have specific programmes running to upskill and promote women into the industry and conferences are holding specific sessions on how they can better recruit and encourage women.

Meepme · 23/06/2023 16:56

Twice - but both times got a big enough payout to not work for a year. I think its just part and parcel of life these days and so much more common than you think.

I worked with a new accountant at the same time and felt for him because he was new and suddenly a whole lot of us were made redundant as work was going to be outsourced. However he was really happy as he walked away with a 30K payout and essentially a deposit for a flat.

aintnospringchicken · 23/06/2023 18:24

Thankfully never.DH was made redundant after over 20 yrs with the same company.He was made redundant a few months after his 50th birthday.

whenindoubtgotothelibrary · 23/06/2023 18:42

Once, but it was voluntary. You got an enhanced payout if you opted in. It was completely fantastic as I hated the job anyway, and the payout was enough for me not to need to work for two years. I used the time to do an MSc, and it more or less funded our loft conversion.

EngTech · 23/06/2023 18:43

Once - They could not understand why I was doing back flips out the door with a nice redundancy package which virtually paid off mortgage, it was in 2002 though

I was 48 at the time

Best decision they ever made as I was getting bored in the field of employment I was in

Retrained in a new discipline by my new employer, paid for by them 👍 I was now 53 but they could not get enough youngsters to do the job - Result in my eyes 👍

Shellsbelles · 23/06/2023 18:52

Never, or I should say not yet! Working for 22 years, for 4 companies. I'm not 100% sure about the stability of my current company.

A company I used to work for, and was really sad about leaving (had to leave as moved house) has completely closed down. It was thriving when I was there.

Another company was taken over and eventually closed down 3/4 of it, so lots of redundancies but my job would have been OK (I didn't hang around though).