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Original poster

What Can I Do?

36 replies

HolboB · 22/10/2025 18:59

Sorry for the long post….So I started at a company in August 2024, everything has been great, I work in Payroll, I’m the only payroll employee & the only one qualified to do payroll. The company has 6 pay runs for over 250 employees and whilst I’m part of the wider finance team they don’t know where to even begin processing payroll.
5 weeks ago, my partner went into hospital for emergency surgery, at this point we were 6 weeks out from our wedding.
I got a call to say I was being made redundant, the role was being absorbed by the wider finance team.
11 others were made redundant, all of which have now left the business.
My notice period is 3 months, they’re making me work 9 weeks of which to train 6 other members of staff to do my job. None of which have payroll experience, therefore they all need a lot of guidance.
I am now 1 week away from my wedding, getting no sleep due to stress as my workload has tripled with meetings, calls, handovers, generating handover notes, writing how to guides for every step of my job, all whilst actually trying to do my job.
I had annual leave booked for 1 day, approved by my manager and I still had to respond to emails, teams messages, organise my diary for more handover meetings.
I agreed to the redundancy as I was stressed with my partner in surgery, our upcoming wedding, my daughters birthday and Christmas all coming up and I didn’t have the fight in me to argue reasons why they should keep me.
my question now is, has anybody been in a similar situation with redundancy when they’re having to train 6 others to do the role? Including a receptionist who has been dragged in as backup, bless her she’s never been so stressed in her life!

where would I stand in terms of going on the sick until the end of my 9 weeks? I’m entitled to company sick pay, would they still have to pay me etc?

Any advice to make the next few weeks bearable would be appreciated!! I’m not entitled to redundancy so I’m leaving with 3 weeks pay, it hardly even seems worth all the hassle!!

thanks in advance!

OP posts:
Harassedevictee · 22/10/2025 20:00

Take the week as sick leave and have a wonderful wedding. Put the reason down as work related stress and make it clear no one is to contact you about work.

AmethystAnnotation · 22/10/2025 20:43

Training six people in a few weeks is madness. Better to train one or two people who can then train the others.

If you're ill, take sick leave. They're fault if they are in the lurch. Sick of companies making folk redundant and relying on other staff to pick up the pieces when it all goes tits up.

LIZS · 22/10/2025 22:13

Are you ill? I can understand your oh being ill has added strain to your wedding planning and trust he has recovered, but birthdays and Christmas are just the norm. Document your processes and schedule a few training sessions and shadowing when you are doing a critical task with deadlines . Are you taking time off post wedding? Will you get a bonus for staying the full notice?

Original poster
HolboB · 22/10/2025 22:40

LIZS · 22/10/2025 22:13

Are you ill? I can understand your oh being ill has added strain to your wedding planning and trust he has recovered, but birthdays and Christmas are just the norm. Document your processes and schedule a few training sessions and shadowing when you are doing a critical task with deadlines . Are you taking time off post wedding? Will you get a bonus for staying the full notice?

I’m at the point where I could pull my hair out with stress, barely sleeping, working into the night to get my actual work done, and pay all 250 employees as training is taking a lot longer than anybody anticipated. I was asked to cancel my annual leave for the week following the wedding as they thought it would “cut short” the time I had to train the other members of staff.
No bonus, not even a thank you so far, just an expectation not to let them see the reality of how difficult it will be to do my job as they aren’t qualified or do they have any experience and a request of a “personal favour” from my manager to remain positive at all times as he can’t have his “other employee’s” going off sick due to stress or searching for new jobs!
I feel like they’re totally taking the piss out of me tbh

OP posts:
SingleSexSpacesInSchools · 23/10/2025 06:31

It’s not your problem. Stop thinking about it. Cut it from your mind. Have a great wedding. An amazing honeymoon. Get a new job. Never think about any of these people ever again.

also go sick.

today.

never go back.

devildeepbluesea · 23/10/2025 06:34

If you’re having to train people to do your job then your job isn’t redundant. However as you’ve only been there since Aug 24 you don’t have the right to claim unfair dismissal. So yeah - go off sick, you sound very stressed. Their payroll is no longer your concern. There are plenty of companies who can do this for them.

Shayisgreat · 23/10/2025 06:37

Fuck that! You are sick with stress and you owe them nothing now. Take sick leave for the rest of your time there. Fuck them.

springintoaction2 · 23/10/2025 06:45

I feel like they’re totally taking the piss out of me tbh

They sound utterly shit - 100 per cent agree to go off sick and never go back.

autienotnaughty · 23/10/2025 06:51

Yes they are! Get signed off and focus on your mental health. It’s not your problem.

Lanva · 23/10/2025 06:55

Just because people ask you to do things, doesn't mean you have to do them.

Work on nodding sympathetically, saying "that sounds very challenging" or something similar, and not agreeing to solve their problem. Saying calmly and in a final sort of way (with a downward intonation), "that's not going to work" or "that's not possible" (resist the urge to tag "for me" or "I'm sorry" on).

Let learning this skill be your actual project. Take your planned leave, take your sick, and enjoy your wedding! Congratulations! x

peanutbuttertoasty · 23/10/2025 07:00

Will you need a reference?

Owly11 · 23/10/2025 07:26

Yes sick leave. You are sick, therefore you should be in sick leave. Shame on the company.

curious79 · 23/10/2025 07:37

Stop going the extra mile and work to rule. What are they going to do - fire you?!

you go in at eg 8, leave at 5:30, don’t pick up your phone / email inbetween

tell them there isn’t sufficient time to train others and it is their problem, not yours

DBD1975 · 23/10/2025 08:01

OP ring your GP now and get yourself signed off with WORK related stress for at least one week..
You are going to end up being seriously ill, lesser women would have cracked a long time ago.
With regards to pay it depends what it says in your employment contract but if you don't currently have entitlement my thoughts are you are in a very strong position to negotiate your employers having to pay you if they want you back to carry on training their staff.
I would do the bear minimum, why are you so concerned, turn up do what you can and don't stress, it is not your problem anymore.
Good luck OP, I wish you well x

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 23/10/2025 08:01

Go off sick.
Focus on your wedding.
Don’t worry about Christmas, it’s 2 months away.
Have a wonderful wedding day.

DBD1975 · 23/10/2025 08:08

HolboB · 22/10/2025 22:40

I’m at the point where I could pull my hair out with stress, barely sleeping, working into the night to get my actual work done, and pay all 250 employees as training is taking a lot longer than anybody anticipated. I was asked to cancel my annual leave for the week following the wedding as they thought it would “cut short” the time I had to train the other members of staff.
No bonus, not even a thank you so far, just an expectation not to let them see the reality of how difficult it will be to do my job as they aren’t qualified or do they have any experience and a request of a “personal favour” from my manager to remain positive at all times as he can’t have his “other employee’s” going off sick due to stress or searching for new jobs!
I feel like they’re totally taking the piss out of me tbh

Show quote history

They totally are and, with kindness, you are enabling them to do so!
So the staff don't get paid, not your problem your role is redundant, they don't need you and they have behaved abismally.

If staff don't get paid that is down to the organisation not you.
Ring ACAS and see what they have to say. Normally you would be entitled to sick pay after 3 months, check your contact and go on sick leave for as long as you will be paid.
Trust me OP when you look back on this time in later life you will be furious with yourself for letting people treat you in this way.
You are so stressed you can't think straight xx

DBD1975 · 23/10/2025 08:09

peanutbuttertoasty · 23/10/2025 07:00

Will you need a reference?

They cannot provide a bad one those days are long gone.

Shedmistress · 23/10/2025 08:15

DBD1975 · 23/10/2025 08:09

They cannot provide a bad one those days are long gone.

Show quote history

They can provide a bad reference if they want, this is completely inaccurate.

What can happen is if a bad reference is provided, and the person can get hold of it [not easy] and it is full of lies they can take them to a tribunal. None of which is easy to do.

OP - I wouldn't think twice about going off sick. They will soon have a bloody nightmare on their hands and either have to pay over the odds to get a consultant in to do payroll or bribe you to come back.

BadgernTheGarden · 23/10/2025 08:20

If they need to train someone they should send them on a course, that's not your job. You were employed to do payroll and I assume you are still doing that, if they want someone to watch what you do and take notes fair enough, but you don't have time to train people and actually do the job you were employed for. Don't work extra hours and don't stress about it, the company has put itself in a mess so they will have to get out of it. They could get an accountancy firm to handle the payroll if they get desperate it's no longer your problem. Go sick if you are sick, take all the leave have planned, and all the leave you are due and enjoy.

Shayisgreat · 23/10/2025 08:38

Can't believe they want you to not take a week off after your wedding. Even if you aren't going on a honeymoon. Can't believe you'd even consider agreeing to the request.

They've treated you like crap. How is your role redundant if other people have to be trained on it? Mad!

Greenwitchart · 23/10/2025 09:22

Seriously, they are making you redundant but they expect you to train other people to do your job? they really are CFs.

  • I would have a chat with ACAS because if they are asking you to train other people to do your job, then your payroll role is not redundant as it is obviously still needed by the company
  • Speak to your GP about your stress and get signed off for the duration of your notice making it clear that work stress drove you to the edge
  • Enjoy your wedding
  • Don't feel guilty about anything as shitty employers like yours only have themselves to blame.
topcat2014 · 23/10/2025 09:30

Is it a school? Everyone who's never run a large payroll presumes it's easy especially teachers

NutButterOnToast · 23/10/2025 09:33

When you're a diligent person it's easy for bosses to take advantage. Your workload is not sustainable.

Go to GP, get signed off for work related stress. Don't go back.

Have a lovely wedding.

fedupagain01 · 23/10/2025 09:36

Greenwitchart · 23/10/2025 09:22

Seriously, they are making you redundant but they expect you to train other people to do your job? they really are CFs.

  • I would have a chat with ACAS because if they are asking you to train other people to do your job, then your payroll role is not redundant as it is obviously still needed by the company
  • Speak to your GP about your stress and get signed off for the duration of your notice making it clear that work stress drove you to the edge
  • Enjoy your wedding
  • Don't feel guilty about anything as shitty employers like yours only have themselves to blame.

This?

devildeepbluesea · 23/10/2025 12:05

fedupagain01 · 23/10/2025 09:36

This?

Show quote history

OP doesn’t have enough service to bring an unfair dismissal claim. See my post above.

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