At Risk?

What TO DO, and more importantly NOT TO DO

A little disclaimer here, as everyone’s redundancy journey is different. The ‘Do’s and Don’t below might not be perfect for everyone, but they helped me.

I will be adding to this section from time to time as my journey continues

DO.

  • Unless told otherwise, do continue to work as usual. Don’t give your company any reason to believe that you’re not doing your regular duties
  • Do ask for copies of key documents like your contract of employment (and any amendments). Also, get your job description and the company redundancy policy.
  • If you’re in a Union, speak to your rep.
  • Do keep calm and be reasonable. Aggravating your employer could make things worse. If you go to tribunal then being able to prove that you’ve acted reasonably throughout the process, will be in your favour. Especially if the company haven’t.
  • Do Take comprehensive notes in any meeting. If there is an HR advisor in meetings, they will be taking very detailed notes. They may then refer to these notes at various points in the process. It’s useful to be able to prove any inaccuracies or omissions.
  • Do take an active part in the process, even if you think the result is a foregone conclusion, or the process is shambolic. Offer your ideas to alternative roles or explain how you feel the company could save enough money not to make you redundant. Take part even if you think you’re ‘playing along.’, but politely make it clear that you think this process is a sham. This will help your defence should things ever escalate.
  • If you know a meeting is being recorded, ask for copies
  • Research as much as you can. Be prepared, and work out what you think you’re entitled to

DONT

  • Don’t take redundancy personally. It’s generally about your role or the state of the business rather than you. If you think this is about you and can prove it, then this isn’t a genuine redundancy.
  • Don’t openly criticise your employer, for example, on social media. It would likely be a breach of a term in your contract
  • Don’t assume that everything you read on the internet is correct. This process is complicated, can be interpreted in different ways and is very fact-specific. Check and double-check everything with different sources.
  • Don’t assume that if there is an HR presence in meetings, they are there for your benefit. There is a reason that companies pay a lot for HR consultancy, and their involvement is more for the companies benefit than yours.
  • Don’t feel rushed to make any commitments. Take time to reflect and look at the options before you make any major decisions.
  • Don’t get hung up on the ‘fairness’ of the situation. Your employer only needs to show that it’s a genuine redundancy and that they have followed a fair process. 
  • Don’t fight fights that you can’t win. The chances are that you’ll be leaving your company, try and go on the best terms possible.
  • Don’t be greedy, rarely are there big payouts associated with redundancy. Aim to get what’s fair and reasonable.
  • Don’t hold a past grudge. For instance, being at risk of redundancy due to mismanagement doesn’t make a redundancy unfair.

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