Voluntary reduced hours at work to avoid redundancies, has anyone experienced this?

[Stratosfeare]

Employer asked everyone to take voluntary reduction in hours to prevent redundancies until end of year. Anyone else experienced this and how did it work out? Anticipating potential feelings of resentment if some reduce hrs, others don’t. I am already part time and not happy to reduce hrs more but don’t mind doing my bit in short term although doesn’t seem fair if not everyone does this.

Mine considered this in Covid. People argued. So they made us work normal hours for 10% less pay. It was shit.

If you reduced your hours, and they proceeded to make you redundant anyway, what would your redundancy payout be calculated on?

Its the 12 week period before you are given notice

This happened to a friend, she reduced to 4 days and then built her hours back up when things improved

Working for a council we ‘voted’ 🤔 to take three days unpaid leave to save the council money, otherwise more redundancies were to follow.

I suppose it felt altruistic in that we weren’t taking money away from public services.

This happened to me during the recession in the early 90s. We built our ours back up again and it saved redundancies, so it worked out quite well overall.

We had this in teaching - all dept members put into a ‘pot’ and option given for people to reduce to save jobs. I have always offered but they have always chosen someone else for redundancy. It’s a bit crap all round. It’s happened to me 3 times now & I have survived every time. It’s quite unpleasant.

Yes, this happened to me a couple of years ago. I went from full time to 20 hours a week. I am now back full time, but my employer didn’t rush to increase my hours as soon as possible, so it did cause resentment for me. It didn’t help that the work still had to be done, so I did end up having to work a lot of unpaid overtime too.

I’d be very wary of offering to reduce hours as a result of my experience.

Just read back and adding, ‘annually’.

Three days unpaid leave, every year, not a one off.

Thank you all for your comments
Feels like complete chaos at work. Can see us heading straight to a restructure as can’t see enough people putting themselves forwards for voluntary hours reduction.

DH’s firm did something like this in the past, but no cut in hours just salary with the partners / seniors taking the biggest cuts - think 30-40% and the juniors / graduates taking a 5% cut. It was reviewed and I think they all got paid the money as a lump sum when the firm was out of danger.

Is it an all or nothing thing? What's the reduction proposed, 10%, 20%? Will it be applied to everyone equally? Will workloads be adjusted to account for the reduction in hours.

Asking people to do it voluntary doesn't seem fair, it needs to be applied to everyone, with assurances of how and when hours will be restated.

To save redundancy I'd be very open to this, with a few protections and caveats. People extremely opposed to it can always look for new jobs.

If you take a cut in hours don't work more for free to get the work done. That is just a massive pay cut.

Yes, all or nothing
no proposed reduction, individuals requested to reduce hours depending on their forecast workload for next 3 months
a mandatory reduction to everyone would’ve made much more sense. I open to reducing but I don’t want to sacrifice myself for others, a level of commitment is needed to be known elsewhere……

relative had this
their organisation reduced everyone to a 4 day week for 3 months.
result was everyone working strickly business hours only and no overtime (as previously)

edit to add that business went back to full time after 3 months

There are ways it could potentially work, but this doesn't seem like the best way to do it. They need to first consult and see what people would be open to accepting.

A fair way to do it would be something like 'we're going to a 4 day week, this will be reviewed either on X date or when Y conditions are met. Quarterly reviews. For part timers and equivalent 20% reduction in hours.' There could be some exemptions e.g. business critical posts. I'd also expect to see a recruitment freeze and pay freeze at all levels.

Agree, definitely not the best way to do it. Feel a little cynical that they want to restructure but forcing the decision onto us as they know they won’t get enough volunteers reducing hours (if not enough come fwd to reach a certain amount of money saved, straight into a restructure)

I did this along with other senior managers in my work (charity). Most of us went back up to original hours, some remained on reduced hours as a choice, and none of us received compensation or reimbursement as a pp had experienced.
I didn't mind doing it as it suited me at the time but I suppose I am resentful it wasn't acknowledged. And the reality is I worked the hours, I just didn't get paid. I'd be asking the question of how they make it equitable, either all doing it, or how they make the number who do feel appreciated or acknowledge it longer term.

Yes, experienced it a few times. Made to take paid holidays then unpaid leave. It didn't end well.

What about proposing everybody buys 2 weeks holiday.... depends how much of a reduction they need

I'd be asking the question of how they make it equitable, either all doing it, or how they make the number who do feel appreciated or acknowledge it longer term.

thank you, really good points that I will
follow up with tomorrow

I did and it worked out pretty well. It wasn't a formal scheme, but there had already been one round of restructuring where my role was at risk so I could see the writing on the wall. I went from 3 days per week to 2 days per week. The pay cut wasn't even all that significant due to the way the tax brackets work.

I can't remember exactly when I did it but it probably helped me keep my role there for another eighteen months. That organisation had really good terms and conditions of service, including a final salary pension. In the last couple of years I began upskilling in a different area - the additional time off gave me time to do so - and I still carry out freelance work for that organisation nearly a decade on from that decision.

Double post. Sorry.

What kind of industry do you work in @Stratosfeare

I can see it working if everyone does step up and take their fair share in an office or factory environment perhaps, but somewhere else like an independent school would be impossible with timetabling etc.

I know in Llandovery college staff have taken voluntary pay cuts to help to balance the books. No idea if it will be enough.

A few years ago, in my workplace, senior academic staff volunteered to take a pay cut to help the university balance its books. Long story short- it didn’t and redundancies still happened further down the line. I think, when an organisation is floating ideas like this, it’s a sign they are deep trouble. Depending on how deep the trouble is (and in the HE sector it was/is very deep indeed) voluntary pay cuts or voluntary reduction in hours can, unfortunately, just be rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. Good luck, OP.