I have been notified that I am to be made redundant at the end of May 2014.

🙁

I intend to appeal (even though it may be a fruitless process)

Do the STW forumites have some legal-ish flowery blurb that I can use to put in my appeal letter to cheer me up?

Over to you STW..!

It’s a case of “if they want you out”
At least you have a decent notice to find something else.
I’m sorry. It’s shit when that happens.

what criteria have they used and what process?

Why do you want to appeal/what grounds?

You’ve been given ’til mtfu! At least you have some time to find something else

I went about this from a “business case” for me staying, with financials etc etc, unfortunately if didn’t make any difference as there was a technicality in my contract that I couldn’t counter…

Good luck though…

I think you have two options;

1) The process – find a legal issue with how they have run the process and selected you.

2) Argue your case – prove that you as an individual (not your post) brings more to the company than other people doing the same role and that the loss of that value will hurt them.

I’m not sure either will work if it’s a large company ticking boxes (which with the leadtime on your notice it sounds like).

If it were me I’d probably choose to focus on how to get another job, not keep the one I have – it’ll be a more positive experience and more likely to lead to a positive outcome.

Either way – good luck.

Due to my company buying another firm, they have decided to close the smaller office where I am based.

I suggested that I could work from home and still perform most of my role.

I want to appeal rather than just taking it lying down.

@dawson, if it’s an entire office closure it will be tough to appeal unless they make a process error. What do your colleagues say ? Can you apply for work at the new office ?

I suspect there is a game here hoping you will leave before May to take another job and they won’t have to pay you any redundancy. Your best option might be to try and get them to pay you an accelerated redundancy payment (i.e. before May) and you take another job. Giving you 6 months notice is quite generous.

What you should do is write them straight away, say the news has been a shock / surprise, ask for explanation / help in dealing with situation. This will put a marker down and buy you some time to decide what to do next.

Good luck.

unfortunately they dont have to employ you from home – i assume this is NOT in your contract. If they close the office I am not sure what on earth you would appeal on – what grounds – They have to employ you?

Imagine I was a shop worker and they shut the shop and made me redundant what would my appeal be ?

Most would offer you, if available, the opportunity to relocate but that is [ iirc] not always required.

Personally i think you will waste a lot of time on what seems a fairly clear cut case as , effectively, the business has closed down at your locale. There no longer is a job/base so there is nothing really to appeal
its like they have two factories and shut one – it sucks but there is nothing to appeal

Do you work for a massive company?

It’s all about roles, not people.

If your role vanishes or gets moved to another site (eg merging two companies) then you don’t have any real ground for appeal. If however, they intend to take on extra people at another site to do your current role, then your redundancy isn’t valid…

@Junkyard – understood. Thank you for putting it like that – I suppose I am just trying to delay the inevitable.

@jambalya – They have offered us an extra 25% redundancy if we see it through to the last day.

I am beginning to wonder if appealing the decision is worth it, as, has Junkyard has pointed out, I haven’t really got grounds to appeal.

Don’t want to feel like I have just accepted it without challenging it though.

If however, they intend to take on extra people at another site to do your current role, then your redundancy isn’t valid…

That was what was initially prompted my thought process.

I work as part of a small team of IT support – my role is 90% telephone based.

I am the only IT support bod in my office (that is being closed)

The main office is in Swindon, the newly acquired firm is in Newcastle.

Relocation is not feasible for me.

If they get rid of me, they will be a man down on the IT support team, with a growing user base to support.

If they get rid of me I think they will need to employ another person at one of the other locations.

I don’t know the ins and outs of your contract but it doesn’t sound like it would make much difference to me writing a letter.

Having been made redundant, I would say use it to your advantage and get something else lined up ASAP. Use it as a chance to explore other avenues and get out of your comfort zone, oh and it would be probably more worthwhile spending your time and effort on making sure you get everything you are entitled to from your redundancy.

Look at it as the chance for a new start rather than the end of a job.

@dawson, so there you have it an offer. I imagine you have to tell them fairly soon which offer you’ll take, leave early or leave at end. I can understand how you feel (have experienced it), you should drop HR a note and speak to your boss (make a note of the conversation). Then you can take a few days to think it through. In my view you should brush up your CV and see what else is out there, who knows you could end up in a better job, you could leave before May take a decent holiday then come back into a new job. Take the extra 25% and take a long holiday after May, you have options.

You need to save your ‘fight’ for getting a new job, not struggling to retain the one that’s going.

re: the 25% – I’m not sure how much this is in money terms but I’d be very tempted to ignore and get a job asap – you wouldn;t need to be unemployed for long for the extra to be eaten uo.

Thanks all.

Will take that on board.

Probably what I needed to be told (but didn’t want to hear)

Been here 10 years so probably due for a change.

It’s a shock and I think everyone tries to keep what they have, it’s diffcult having such big change thrust upon you and it’s bound to take time to come to terms with it and the implications for you and your family.

If however, they intend to take on extra people at another site to do your current role, then your redundancy isn’t valid..

I am not certain they have to offer you this job tbh as they are relocating but most companies would ask you if you wanted to move. It is valid the base has closed. Imagine the shop supermarket shuts in Birmingham one opens in Edinburgh – is it your job?
What if the company relocated to France?india wherever – your contract will be the key here but it will most likely state a venue which no longer exist

If they get rid of me I think they will need to employ another person at one of the other locations

This is a new job though not your job due to the base change IMHO
I can see why you think it is yours and the best they will do is offer you this and , possibly, relocation IMHO

I doubt you can appeal but I can see why you are aggrieved and you have my sympathy

At least you got notice….

I was told October last year that I was being made redundant, they wanted me to work my notice (4weeks) but BTW we haven’t got any money to pay the wages this month…..

2 weeks later the receivers were in

Long and the short of it, by the time it was sorted out, I was £4k down due to loss of holidays, statutary redundancy and the money they took off us but didn’t pay into the pension fund…..

Sounds like your place is being more than reasonable 😉

Is your IT support specialised? Does it have a small national number of persons to carry out this function at all of the employers that use the system/software? If so don’t make waves as word will go around your small world and you will be doing something else as a job in future.
Best of luck with whatever you choose to do.

I went through something similar ages ago – two offices being brought to one (not mine!). We had the option to move there as the roles still existed and were needed but not in the location we were. As such our roles became redundant.

Focus on a new job.

Quite a few in the ship building industry are also in the same boat, being sunk without a paddle.

Its a tough old life, but like ive said many times, if they want you out out you go.

@dawson – make a plan, some work stuff focused on new job hunting, some thinking about what you want to do where, some fun stuff to do. Now I am not necessarily advocating this but it’s quite likely there will be no prizes for extra hard work / long hours so make sure you have some fun and time to yourself (early morning ride and get in later, leave early midweek (Dentist, Doctors appointment, interview etc), make sure you this time to do all the errands etc you need to or have been putting off. You will likely find many colleagues disappear so extra work will be put on you, be ready for that. If they’ll pay you for it then consider it otherwise why bother.

If it where me I’d be fixed on base redundancy offer and exit ASAP after you are entitled to that having worked hard o secure another job.

redundant about 8 years ago after nearly 20 years with same company; to be honest it was the right move and I don’t regret the event. Opportunity..

freelance support engineer serving those same customers?

You have one priority now, find another job. Appeals, 25% loyalty bonus, getting angry at what has happened are all distractions that will slow down the process of getting back on track. You now owe your firm no loyalty, do the minimum you feel comfortable with. Start looking immediately, don’t leave it and mentally work on leaving.

I’ve been made redundant 5 times, the last was unexpected and traumatic but each time I’ve focussed on moving forward and fairly quickly found something better.