Lost my job today, completely out of the blue

[789pm]

I can't wrap my head around it. Today was a normal work day... I was in the middle of working on various projects I have lined up for this week and I had a call out of the blue from HR. They said they are getting rid of me with immediate effect due to company restructuring. My role is going to be shared out with several colleagues - the colleagues I was asked to run a training session for last week...

I have been put on gardening leave. I was then locked out of my IT accounts. No chance to say bye to anyone. Teams messages and emails left unanswered.

There were no issues with my performance, my manager was in the call and said that it has nothing to do with my performance and the decision was above him. It makes no sense. Work recently paid for me to go on an expensive course, they had work lined up for me.

I cannot make sense of it at all.

So sorry you have been treated like this. What a horrible way to let you go.

This happened to me too OP... just over 5 years ago. I was really slicked at the time but looking back it was a toxic place to work and I was better off out of it.

It really is nothing you've done it's a just a cost saving exercise that you've been caught up in. Onwards and upwards! I'm now in a job with great people where I'm paid more and treated way better.

It's good that you have a 2-month notice period as that gives you a nice chunk of money to sit on while you look for another role. People always get shirty when their notice periods are long but they really do protect you if something like this happens.

I'd also look into whether you get your final pay tax free. Mine was. And that helped my cash flow too.

Good luck OP. I know you've had a terrible shock but you there's a much better job out there with your name on it. Hold your head high and don't doubt your abilities.

It always has been in certain big companies, my late uncle was a senior manager at Thomas Tilling, which was a holding conglomerate, one day he was asked to clear his desk and be gone that morning, on gardening leave and out.

That was in the 70's, they were being acquired by a bigger company, and they decided to purge the executives, the concept of you having to leave with immediate effect is to protect the firms intellectual property and stop you contacting clients etc..

OP was there under 2 years, so doesn't have much in the way of rights in that regard, and can be just "let go".

Really sorry to read this. I hope you find something even better, soon.

Is this an American company by any chance?

Being locked out in American companies is standard as a security precaution: also in certain kinds of tech and financial roles more broadly. If so, it is brutal but not personal.

I'm sorry, though- it's a nasty thing to happen.

OP has been put on gardening leave for her notice period and is therefore employed and remains on the payroll for this period, which is 2 more months.
They don’t have to pay out her annual leave within 7 days.

Also, depending on the amount of annual leave she has left (plus the amount she accrues during gardening leave), they could also insist she takes it during her gardening leave, subject to the right notice being given - 2 days notice for every 1 day of annual leave they want her to take.

I agree with those saying the process they followed is unfortunately the normal process.
I'm about to announce redundancies in my team, and whilst we are planning to discuss with them a short handover period if need be, the advice from HR is to pay in lieu of notice.

It's nothing personal, it's mostly to avoid them the awkwardness of having to act like everything is normal when it's not. And give them the time to focus on their job search (including internal opportunities with our support).

Terrible for you. Complete focus on getting a new job, use tge garden leave to your advantage. Good luck!

Unfortunately this seems to be a common practice. I will never forget the scenes of the Lohmann bank staff leaving with their desk contents in boxes . Happened to my DH too . Came into his office demanded company phone, filofax , extra car keys and escorted him out . He felt like a criminal. It is done to make sure no sabotage or contact with clients . Nasty business . Gardening leave will tide you over until you find another job which hopefully will be soon. Sorry this happened to you 😢

That’s horrible. Make sure you have references agreed and recover any useful email contacts you can for future networking, you may remember some now but you won’t soon. Make linked in contacts with people, just be visible and contactable in terms of networking for the future.

I have a feeling I’m going the same way soon. I suddenly have multiple people to mentor and I had an email sent in ‘error’ regarding handover for the end of the year.

Same with my dh. Last time he was even forbidden to make contact with any of his colleagues. Horrible, but it had nothing to do with him.

In one job he suspected this would happen, he had signed up to go to the Christmas party but a couple of days before he noticed his name was taken off the list. So then he knew and at least had some time to mentally prepare and reply to all emails etc.

I am really sorry OP, thats a shitty way to treat people.
I am not a HR expert but unfortunately with only 9 months there you don't have many rights unless you have a protected characteristic
Please be really careful about taking advice on here though, there is a lot of misinfrmation from well meaning people who are talking about Redundancy etc when thats not what happened so if you DO decide to seel advice please do so from an acredited source.
I would also say to check your contract before contacting old colleagues etc in case it breached your contract in some way and risks you losing your pay for the Gardening Leave. I Have heard of someone being sacked for GM while on Gardening leave and losing money so be cautious abiut what you do
I hope you find another job soon x

If anyone sacked me and forbade me to contact anyone I'd want them to pay me for that via a fat settlement with a confidentiality clause.

Otherwise, if they are sacking me just with the pay I'm legally due, they have no control over me.

I'd be telling everyone exactly what had gone on!

That's the worst. The un-savvy think 'hey I must be doing well, they are giving me other people to develop/ impart my wisdom' not realizing that it's just a handover in disguise.

Here is a way to think of it which might help. Imagine that instead of this being a permanent job, you'd been offered 9 month's work for 11 month's pay on a short-term contract. I'm not suggesting you lie on your CV, but if you frame it to yourself that way, it might lift your spirits. Do get back to them about a reference - don't give out to them in your request. You'll probably get a good one.

Please ignore this 'advice'. It is nonsense.

Hi OP, I'm really sorry this has happened. I work in HR and a lot of well-meant advice above is nonsense.

Unfortunately, given your length of service they have acted within the law. They have not dismissed you due to a protected characteristic from the sounds of it so they are legally entitled to dismiss you for any other reason they see fit.

However, there is doing what is legal and doing what feels morally right and it does sound like they have handled it harshly. It doesn't help you of course, but it sounds like they did it over video call with absolutely no warning whatsoever. That is going to be a difficult situation for you, naturally as it's a huge shock!

With regards to having to leave the office immediately, it is never nice for anyone (HR included) I absolutely hate feeling like a security guard escorting someone out of the building and I'm fully aware it must be devastating for the person concerned. All I will say is it absolutely is nothing personal, we do it in every case where we have a dismissal and it is a very standard procedure. It is to reduce the risk of dismissed employees contacting clients or other staff, or being disruptive in any way. I've heard horror stories from friends in HR at other companies of staff damaging computer equipment, deleting crucial information, barricading themselves in the office, acting aggressively etc. Of course the risk of that happening is miniscule but nonetheless we treat everyone the same and escort them from the premises and cut computer access etc. I'm really sorry this happened to you but it absolutely doesn't say anything about how they personally view you, they're just following procedure.

I would focus your gardening leave on looking for a new job once you've taken a bit of time to come to terms with this. It may not feel like it but it's better they've given you some paid time and space away from work to concentrate on job hunting. Make sure you get a reference agreed with HR and ensure they pay you for any holiday you've accrued.

Good job it wasn't actually advice to the OP then.

I'm just saying that post employment, without a gagging order/ confidentiality clause no one can be instructed not to speak to former colleagues.

What they say to those colleagues is entirely up to them.

You need to contact CAB and ACAS - Specifically ACAS and get a Union Rep.

I am so sorry you were treated that way.

Make the most of your gardening leave and then look for something better. Good luck.

You must have such a bad taste in your mouth.
Very sorry x

Were you not given warnings? Aren't you supposed to have three? It has given your confidence a hard knock, and that is unfair.

Can you appeal to anyone? What explanation did they give officially for you to claim benefits? You should, you know, and not leave it too long.

You would be surprised how many people have lost their jobs. No one will admit it, but I think most have been there. It doesn't have to be a disaster. Now is your opportunity to turn your life around and find a new career, and you might find something that you didn't realise you were missing.

You are a success if you can turn around and redeem something good out of the bad.

It happened a lot in places i have worked.
Go to speak to someone re work related stuff, who was in that morning, only to find they've gone!
A lovely colleague was allowed to collect her things from her desk (with TWO security guards monitoring her), then escorted out the building.

This happened recently to my cousin, after 4 months. The manager actually took her on to the roof terrace to break the news. The company was in trouble. She went home in shock, cried for an hour, then assessed finances (she’d just moved to the city for this job) and spent two weeks applying for other jobs, every hour, every day, and started work in week three. The worst thing was her thinking she’d done something wrong, whereas it was piss poor management. Good luck.