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barny, just say when bro!
Marcus - Didn't know about your business - sorry to hear that! We had to dissolve Bry's this year and that was tough to do but glad we did it.
Trip up north might be fun - I'll keep you posted. You can take me to that dodgy pub again! 🙂
Well you can always let your hair down at the jbm tonight... 😀
They're making you redundant, accept it and concentrate on:
a. getting as much money as possible
b. another job
I was laid off last year (my 7th time), totally unexpected. But when I walked into the office to my boss and the Grim Reaper (HR Director), I knew...
So I let my boss read out the 'script', then turned to HR and asked "how much?" - never even spoke to my boss, not then and not since.
I then went and sat down with the HR Director to work out the deal - they wanted me out asap - I was happy to go.
My history...
1st time - 1 month gross
2nd time - 3 months net
3rd time - 3 months gross
4th time - 1 month net
5th time - 3 months gross, keep company car for 3 months, relocation due to been abroad
6th time - 6 months gross
7th time - 3 months net and 3 months gross, 1 years bonus, 3 months car allowance, 3 months health etc
While financial I've always done well (must be the photos' I keep - or more likely my photographic memory of dodgy dealings...), unfortunately this is not a time to be laid off, especially if you are quite senior...
Solicitor has given me some good news - now to get as much money as possible!!!
Sorry for late entry to this one.
I was made redundant 2 years ago and I found that once I got over the shock of being told, and was able to assimilate the information and do some research around the subject, I could get more in control and ended up with an acceptable outcome.
sounds like you are on the way with that - good luck with how it goes.
At the time, I was dredding what I would do next, and now have a complete life change doing something I love.
At least there is the prospect of getting some money.
My company was put into administration with the intention of selling as a going concern. No sale so company folded. Everyone made redundant. Only received statutory from the government which was grossly less than my contract stated. I'm now a creditor of the Co. (they owe me money under the contract I held with them). Unfortunately I'm at the back of a long queue.
I'm fortunate to have some savings that keeps me going.
This was in May and I still haven't got back into what I was doing (Quality & Compliance Management). Done bits of casual work and nearly completed a course that will add to my CV but feeling increasingly anxious about getting back into my career. Attended numerous interviews with results ranging from down to the last two, to the post being pulled at the last minute.
The job market is dire at the moment (especially in the engineering/manufacturing sector).
Get as much as you can from them, then throw yourself into getting another job. Best of luck with it all.
BTW, Unipart (rail) were one of our major customers who weren't paying on time, pulling contracts and orders, and knackering cash flow. Accelerating the demise of the Co. B@st@rds! 😆
Bushwacked..... most household insurance policies have legal costs cover. Worth investigating if this is worth activating. I missed that one when it happened to me. For that reason I made choices based on financial considerations rather than what was necessarily right for me.
Worth a look at the policy at the very least.
Give your Mrs a hug from the STW massif on my behalf will yer? Similar experience to mine there, and as its transpired once the initial shock has passed mine has been a tower of strength over the subsequent years, all through me having bits falling off me, through to now when I at starting to feel OK for the first time in a long time. (Incidentally that is also why you must seek your own form of closure to this).
Positive vibes in bucket loads coming your way.
Just like to say that these things can end up working in your favour. I was in a similar situation Nov 09 and found that my manager was basically pushing through constructive dismissal of me due to a personality clash. He ended up going behind my back and sabotaging my work (Which i had proof). He even intentionally kicked off with me the day before my holidays so that he could spoil them for me. In the end i decided to jump ship as the acid stomach and sleepless nights were affecting my homelife. I had an interview for a job i had craved for years and you wont believe the next few events.
1) 1pm - Call from wife to tell me the people i had an interview had been on the phone and wanted an urgent call
2) 1.20pm - Had 5mins time so called them to which they said they wanted to offer me the job
3) 2pm Walked back into office and was told to go into managers office. Was confronted by HR manager
4) Handed a letter saying i was redundant.
5) I could tell that she was amazed at my response. I took the letter. Explained i would be keeping the company car for the period of my notice and if that was all i would happily never see her ever again. All done with a calm expression on my face.
6) Walked out and drove off without a wrod to the backstabbing shites i worked with
7) Got home and said to the wife "I have some bad news & some good news" "which do you want first?"
I havent looked back. Hitting targets and at the sales appraisel this week i was described as this years success story and handed confirmation that i would be getting all my bonuses for the year.
Now i had spoken to TJ about where i stood and i had taken legal advice too. What they did was totally against all the rules and i would have had a very good case for taking them to task. In the end i just decided that the best thing for me and my family was to move on. Sometimes lingering in the past is more harmfull than using the enegy to move on.
Oh and i took great pleasure in the bosses face when i handed him my company car back. It had been used for all my biking trips and hadnt had so much as a drop of care given in that time. It was almost bone dry on fuel as well. He commented that it was very dirty. I just said that i had been busy working for their biggest rivals and didnt want to get my new company car dirty so used this. I then walked off with a smile on my face. Oh and a lot of this years suuccess has been at their expense too 😉
Bushwhacked,
Really sorry to hear about the impact on your wife - to be expected sadly, but the good news is you're taking affirmative action and your solicitor is making progress also. Chances are they'll go for a compromise agreement to mitigate costs and avoid any further nastiness.... The lack of a pool and the clear evidence of planning to replace you is a smoking gun - don't let them forget it! Also - make sure they're not aware of this on STW just in case!
I was in a similar situation 8 weeks ago and it's worked out well for me and my new carbon hardtail . . . Oh yes.
Keep it going and good luck!!!
This probably isn't much consolation at the moment, but something like 80% of the folk I know who have been made redundant ultimately say they have ended up happier. Not all I admit, but the majority do.
Good luck whatever happens.
All fair comments - end of one chapter, onto the new one which is going to be even better!
good luck B.. keep us posted. Get your arse up North when you can.
My unfair redundancy where I got a payoff because of the incompetent way they did it ( I got money to go away and shut up - I'm passing the hat around on STW next week) paid for a BMW for me 🙂
Felt like I wanted to give an update on my situation since I last posted a few weeks ago... a lot has happened.
1. My company decided that I was right and what they were doing was unfair so invited two of my colleagues to join the process. They were rushed through the process and had their announcement and 1st consultation last week and 2nd consultation was yesterday.
2. To add to the fun of Xmas my wife was laid off a week and a half ago. She had only been there 5 months so only got 1 weeks notice and no statuatory redundancy rights (as I understand it)
3. 2nd Consultation process yesterday and we were all scored and surprise surprise I still scored bottom even though a significant number of colleagues I work with have said one of my colleagues should have gone as he is incompetent and will be unable to manage my account to the same level as I have.
At this moment in time it really feels like I'm a marked man as if the scoring had been fair I would have scored higher than my colleague. Earlier in the year I was offered a role swap but it really wasn't something I felt I could move into so declined and I think my boss's boss who is notorious for holding a grudge is holding a grudge.
I now have a few weeks of consultation left, although most of it over Christmas. I'm going to be advised of jobs within my company that I could apply for but none of the ones I am aware of are suitable so I'm going to focus my efforts outside of work.
On the plus side, I've just reviewed my CV and it's not looking too shabby so I'm looking forward to seeing what is out there and getting something good.
Its a shame that I've been told three days before Xmas as it really has ruined my excitement for the festive period but I'm going to work on sorting that out over the coming days and make the most of it.
I've got to now focus on working out how to improve the tiny payout I've been offered so if anyone has any ideas let me know.
Things could be so much worse!
Positive attitude and move on to better things!
Sorry to hear the news. The same thing happened to me this time last year, just before Christmas. As you say, once they decide on the names, the scoring is just fixed to get the result they want, regardless of your skills.
The one positive note is that the job market (at least in my area) is better this year then it was last year. Also, both times this has happen to me I've ending up doing something more enjoyable.
All the best for the new year.
Bushwacked - I've just been through a similar process in November.
The company I worked for had a shortfall in one side of the business and made a number of redundancies in the opposite side, the side I worked for.
We were the 'new' part of the business and a number of us went. I was the only one doing my role 'head of sales' yet they've kept the full sales team on who aren't being managed at the moment!
I travelled 4.5 hours for my first 20 minute meeting! I didn't attend my 2nd or 3rd meetings but did them over the phone, I asked why they'd want to spend £50 on petrol or £80 on train fares when they were trying to save money. Frankly I knew that they wanted to get rid of the newer guys who were trying to change the business, move it forward and were challenging the status quo.
I've been through the redundancy process a number of times, the one thing I will say is that all the forms and assesment processes are there to back up and justify the company's decision. For whatever reason they have targeted you, maybe because as you say someone has a grudge.
My advice would be to try and extract as much money out of them as possible and spin the whole thing out as long as possible, maximising your income and giving you a chance to apply for a new job.
There are jobs out there, the challenge seems to be finding one at the right level and with the right company, at the moment I'm still looking!
Good luck, try and enjoy Christmas, difficult I know, keep up the positive attitude
I've set a goal for getting a new job - and to incentivise me I've got a picture of the bike I want and will be able to buy should I get a job in that time. 🙂
Sorry to hear the news, but as already said try and remain positive. Draw a line under it, have an enjoyable Christmas and then crack on with sorting things out come the new yr.
I was in a similar position last yr and from the sounds of your update, this type of thing is not uncommon.
My scoring was ridiculously low compared to others in the group and when I asked for justification on certain scores I just got a load of blank stares. I also questioned how they could score me so low, when I had alaways got the largest salary increase possible (%age based on performance) and how at none of my 6 month appraisals had my performance been bought into question, when clearly from my scores I was an 'under performer'? Again, this just drew blank stares.
In the end I was happy to be gone, if that is how they genuinely felt. The process is followed, but I believe it was worked backwards, not forwards to get the result they wanted.
Just thought I'd mention all that above, so you can see that it's not an isolated case and don't worry too much about it. Just make sure your CV is top notch and get it out there. Good luck.
Sorry to hear that Bushwacked, but you never know, it could all work out for the best like it has for me.
All the best.
Cheers - applying for loads of jobs and keeping a positive attitude.
Just been to see "where the wild things are" and it was just what I needed 🙂
Nothing to contribute to the discussion other than to say all the best and I really hope it works out for you.
Chhers
i will be standing right beside you ready to help, as you did me my friend
😀