Redundancy - I wasnt selected but I feel so unsettled/worried

[Whichhousetochoose]

Got told last week out of the blue that my role was being considered for redundancy (had no prior knowledge of this) but that my job was not going to be one of the ones made redundant, due to my skills/experience/objectives etc. However, out of 5 of us who do this role - 2 people will be made redundant. I was told all of this information in the same meeting and it completely threw me.

Whilst i am relieved i wasnt selected for redundancy (and obviously i feel absolutely awful for the people who have been), since then I have felt so unsettled and constantly worrying that this might happen again in the near future. Just panicking about everything and worrying about paying the mortgage etc if it happened. Cant concentrate on my work which is the last thing I need to be happening right now!

Please can anyone offer any words of wisdom / help me put a positive spin on this?!

I would be concerned that they will be expecting 3 people to do the work that was previously done by 5 staff members...

Unless you really like your job it might be time to start getting a CV together and look for other opportunities, even if you are not affected by the current round of redundancies.

Worrying is not going to help but you might feel better if you start taking some control of the situation by looking at other options.

@Greenartywitchthe redundancies have come about due to there not being enough work for all of us to do.

Think ill definitely brush up my CV etc just in case!

You might feel more in control of the situation if you brush up on your skills, update your CV and ensure your LinkedIn profile is also refreshed. There are so many online courses now you can do to enhance your skills that whilst you're still employed Id look at what you can do to increase your skills. You could also start to think about what sort of role you'd like and where if the worst happens.

If you feel you are in a better position and more prepared you'll feel in control. Obviously it's always a horrible situation, but having done some things to help if it happens you'll probably feel better.

I can relate to this... redundancy and restructures leave you feeling shook up and undervalued. You can look for other roles and update your CV.... remember that there will be other roles for you as well. Work is a transactional relationship - you deserve better.

I was made redundant once and my line manager decided to also leave for a new job as she felt that it could happen to her in the future and that she would now be expected to do my work load too.

@IncaAztecyoure right i feel so shaken up! I thought my job was relatively secure but it just goes to show. Just feel sick for worrying that as soon as the project im working on finishes at the end of summer ill be a goner (as its an internal project rather than client facing)

I’ve been in this situation three times in three years at my current employer. It’s awful.
the only thing to do is start looking for another job but it isn’t as easy as all that

I will say when people leave as horrid as it is, in my case there has been a new atmosphere afterwards which has not been as bad as you might think

I’m not sure why you thought your job is secure if you don’t have enough work to do.

I've been in a similar position, to the point that we were having to apply for our own jobs every year! After the third time of doing this, I decided that I wasn't prepared to do it any more and applied for, and got, another job.

When I gave my notice, my line manager was appalled and said: "But you were NEVER someone that we would have let go of!".

So their strategy was undermining the confidence of their best employees and forcing them out of the door! Mmmm... I wonder how well that was working out for them? (Actually, I know the answer to that because they closed down 18 months later!)

My advice? Get out of there a.s.a.p.

@sorrynotathomemy project is keeping me really busy and at full capacity , i had no idea that this wasnt the same for all of us.

Will start having a proper look to see what is out there! I had a quick look last night, and it all seems so daunting right now.

That's a pool of 5 roles. Did they score the role holders?

This happens a lot in redundancy situations. It unsettles everyone, and the good staff go and get jobs elsewhere, and the company can end up with shit staff who dont care.

When I was made redundant (15 people out of 48 staff), so many people left in the following 18 months. Now, when I see who still works there, there are only 6 members of original staff, and yep, they are the shit, lazy ones who always did the minimum they could get away with!

@Middlechild3yes they did, based on skills/experiences/objectives/performance etc.

Your feelings have a name - survivor syndrome. Often those not made redundant feel bad and constantly unsettled. Redundancy needs to be managed well and rarely is! My team were all made redundant last October, the process a complete farce, so I decided to retire early due to the world of work being far worse than when I started at 17!!

I've been there OP, it's really tough for those left behind as well as those leaving. You have the survivor's guilt that it wasn't you, the stress of an increased workload and the worry that it might be you next time. In my industry, I've sadly become used to more or less annual mass redundancies (three times in one year, not too long ago). Be reassured in the short term that your skills and experience were valued enough for you to be retained. Longer term, things that have helped me have been:

• Asking HR for an illustration of my redundancy payout, if I were to have been let go (or working out myself based on my contract/length of service). Knowing how much I'd have to live on and how long it would last me was quite comforting (but I have been at my company a considerable length of time so it might not feel the same if you don't have a healthy cushion)
• Building up my own emergency fund to cover up to three months' living expenses including mortgage payments etc (have been following Rebel Finance School principles for saving/investing)
• Brushing up my CV and keeping it up to date, likewise my LinkedIn profile and asking for recommendations from colleagues/past managers/contacts (felt less cringey to ask when I could ask in the context of redundancies in my company/sector)
• Actively applying for other roles. Even if you don't want to move right now, building a bank of cover letters/applications outlining recent, relevant experience and having some interview experience under your belt will put you in the absolute best position to snag another job if the time comes that you are made redundant.

Hopefully this is the end of it for your company and you'll be okay but no job/industry is ever 100% bulletproof, so keep yourself as prepared as you possibly can be. If it helps at all, all the people I know well who have been made redundant from my company have made the best of it and gone on to better things. Work on your own resilience too and believe that you will make the best of it if the worst happens.