Performance plan and severance

[Possiblyoutofjob]

I'm looking for some support / hand hold.

I was promoted to Manager during maternity leave. Since I was back I had several health issues and my DC kept falling sick at the nursery which impacted my life and especially work. Due to series of events I'm now standing at the cusp of being either fired with pay for notice period or take a severance package and leave respectfully.

I'm at a Big4. I've been offered 4 months pay as well as garden leave to cover my notice period.

I have asked for a demotion and lower salary (to keep inflow of salary to cover mortgage payments) but that's not an option. I'm very disheartened.

Following

Ask for 6 months pay plus notice

God that’s really tough, I’m sorry.

If you take the severance package, you will still leave with a reference but it’s not as much money as the other option, is this correct?

I would take the package rather than being fired, but negotiate a reference into that settlement

Have you already been through the performance plan ? These can take a while. I am sure you have asked but could you ask if they can give you the higher of the two amounts but still leave with a good reference. The answer may be no but worth asking if you haven't.

I can understand you are disheartened but if leaving is a fait accompli and they are doing it within rules etc then the best thing is to negotiate the best package you can.

I wish you well @Possiblyoutofjob

Thank you for your responses. They will still give me a reference letter. And couple of other things, less meaningful.

How do I contact an employment lawyer? Do I just google someone ?

What would you like to happen, if you had to put it into 3 bullet points.

Is what you've been offered a Settlement Agreement?

https://www.thompsons.law/support/legal-guides/what-is-a-settlement-agreement

I've been offered 4 months pay as well as garden leave to cover my notice period.

so how long is your notice period? 3 months? I would push for 6 months + notice. Get a reference agreed as well. The settlement agreement should say you resigned.

Most agreements have a set amount for you to take to an employment solicitor who has to work it on your behalf. Just google for an employment solicitor.

from what you said they will make you leave one way or another. It is probably not worth fighting. Sorry.

Honestly bluntly speaking the big4 are fairly cutthroat generally. If they want you gone which they sound like they do, then they'll manage you out one way or the other especially since it seems you accept you haven't been working at the level expected.
It' would be hell working out your notice in that environment . I'd take the severance package . Maybe ask for 6 months and a reference

Also just to note that if they e decided that your face is not a fit. You could
Step back and be in exactly the same position in 3 months except now your 3 months pay is based on your reduced salary instead of your manager salary. Leaving now also means you get to keep manager on your cv which in a big 4 firm will absolutely help you find another job.

In my experience hanging on somewhere where you are wanted never ends well.

Take your package and reference and a couple of months off abs you will absolutely get another job quickly .

I can understand why you would feel disheartened and probably scared at the prospect of being unemployed, but honestly with Big 4 manager on your CV you will be snapped up.

Other firms won't care if you were only a manager for 5 minutes if it was at Big 4. They will just want the kudos of having an "ex Big 4 manager" on their engagement team when pitching to clients.

Everybody knows Big 4 is cut throat and toxic, nobody is going to care that you left or how you left really as long as you sell your experience. You're essentially leaving because Big 4 is incompatible with the work life balance you need - everybody knows what Big 4 is like, people will be sympathetic to that reason.

Plus you're going to have a financial buffer while you look.

Being demoted would have been much much much worse for your CV, your prospects and probably damaging for your mental health. Leaving with a settlement to go and work somewhere with a better culture and better work life balance will be the right outcome in the long run.

In terms of finding a solicitor to advise you on the settlement agreement before signing, if you don't know anybody who can make a personal recommendation then I would always use the Law Society website rather than Google.

It feels like the end of the world, but it's not. You might not be able to picture a future you're happy with right now but that doesn't mean there won't be one. Let yourself grieve for the goals and dreams you had at the Big 4 and then dust yourself down and build some new goals. Life is good outside the Big 4.

Find a solicitor page on the Law Society website:

https://solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk/

Correct. The termination will still give me 3 months net pay.

To get to the point of almost being fired there must have been a lot of incidents and meetings to this point

Are the reasons for termination about time off, etc or are they about performance?

I've been through a couple of rounds. But during the last round I was perhaps intentionally not given any work. I've put it on record all the times I've reached out to resourcing / other seniors on a regular repeated basis to give me meaningful work. My utilisation has been fairly low over the last 6 months and instead of any sort of work I've been handed over this !

They have said one more round of performance plan as my last one was without any work. I raised quite a few times to resourcing etc.

The outcomes of the performance plan are either

1. Positive - out of it , same role etc (which they think is highly unlikely and has been communicated to me)
2. Negative - demotion
3. Negative - termination
4. Negative - some other role in the firm.

The problem is your utilisation, is there a lack of client work for your skill set?
Or are there roles but are engagement managers unwilling to take you onto jobs because of performance?

Have you looked at what's available in smaller consulting firms or industry? There's still a lot out there.

There was a lack of work for 2 months team wide. But certain other people were getting more work than I did. 2 of my previous engagements were also given to my colleagues while I was "shouting " for more work.

Yes, I'm on an active job hunt since a few weeks now.

How much paid sick leave do you have left? Go off sick to eek things out and while you look for another role externally.

Hi OP. If you DM me I can connect you to an excellent employment lawyer who helped with my settlement or if yet can't do it, recommend an alternative.

The employer has to allow you to have legal advice during this process and they should pay for it too (within reason).

Agree with others that having big 4 on CV makes you pretty employable.

It's shit that they didn't support you properly though. Bastards. Misogynist bastards actually.

Their loss- you will take your talent and rock it elsewhere!

The problem is OP is that if there are others who are performing better they will be resourced over you anyway and if there’s a slow down in work the poorer performers are usually left on the bench.

How long have you been back from maternity leave OP? Do you have any additional protection? Knowing the Big 4 I think your best bet is to negotiate the best severance deal you can and continue to job hunt.

The group Pregnant Then Screwed has an HR helpline for things like this, and some general advice on their page:
https://pregnantthenscrewed.com/advice-services/

It says it can take a while to get through as it’s volunteers but you can leave voicemail and they have the right knowledge.

I'd take the money and run so fast and so far, but do check with a lawyer first whether you could get more. You've survived the Big 4 and have got them on your CV. Now for the rest of your life and a fulfilling career working with actual human beings.