Redundancy pooling

[sillybesom]

The company I work for has announced job cuts. My department will be affected - currently we number 5 people, only 4 will go forward under the "new regime".

The new job descriptions advise that essential requirements for the new role are a recognised professional qualification and a minimum of 5 years post qualification experience. The other 4 members of my department fulfil these requirements - I don't . . . My role was always a coordination/administrative one, the others provided "professional" services. (I am paid the same as other admin staff, my colleagues understandably earn a fair bit more).

So - I guess my position will be going as I don't have the essential requirements. My original job description requires the usual mix of good communication skills, proactive, good team player, etc - no requirement to be professionally qualified. (I do have a degree and other qualifications,just not in the field that I'm working in!)

So - is this a fair pooling? Is there anything I can do or should I just accept that I will be made redundant and look for anther job? Thanks in advance for any help.

I think I'd start looking for another job. Even if it doesn't happen, it won't do any harm. Good luck.

if you do a different job to them, it's strange that you're being put in the same pool, or against selection for a role that you've never done and aren't qualified for. It sounds like it is just your role that is being removed and they're going about it a slightly odd way. they are still obliged to go through consultation etc with you, but if you want to cut it short you can say it's clear what the outcome is, and they can cut to the chase if they pay you an extra 4 weeks ex gratia.

Well it's kind of neither here nor there whether it's 'fair' pooling or not, either way it sounds as though your job is redundant. If there's no one similar to put you in a pool with and no need for a job like yours in the new structure, it doesn't really matter.

In fact if it's a restructuring and new jobs with new job descriptions, it's better to include everyone to demonstrate a fair and open process without just giving the jobs to your colleagues without including you. They are selecting people for new jobs rather than just getting rid of one old job. Yes the effect will be the same, and it seems a bit like box-ticking for the sake of it, but they obviously decided they'd rather be safe and include you despite it being fairly clear it's likely you would be selected.

The bottom line is if your job isn't needed any more, if the professional qualification and experience requirements are reasonable, and there isn't another pool somewhere you could have been included in, there's nothing you can do and nothing they've done wrong.

Flowery, thank you for confirming what I thought would be the case. Although to be honest I would rather that the Company simply made me redundant (I am confident that they will do so "properly") rather than make me go through the pooling exercise just to tick the boxes. I am not looking forward to the interview as I am sure that I won't be able to answer the technical questions and I will look stupid . . . Best get job hunting I suppose!

Then don't go through it. If the selection process actually involves you doing anything, such as being interviewed, then just contact HR or whoever and say that bearing in mind you do not meet the criteria for the jobs and your colleagues do, you will not be putting yourself forward for selection as you feel it would be a waste of everyone's time.

It's one thing if a selection panel or whatever scores all of you in absentia and just lets you know the result afterwards, all that means for you is a slight delay in the outcome being confirmed, and it means they can demonstrate selection was open and fair. But if there's some kind of selection process that involves effort and stress on your part that's silly if the outcome is obvious. That's taking box-ticking to an extreme for no benefit.

Speak to someone and get them to cut to the chase with your agreement and for everyone's benefit. They can't make you attend an interview for a job you know you won't get.