So my employer – a large nameless software company – has today told me that I’m one of the lucky people to be put into the redundancy ‘pool’. I’ve not been made immediately redundant, but in my 20 person department, about 10 are in this pool, including my entire team (research).

I’m still reeling a bit – there’s a 90 day consultation period, apparently, before people actually go. What do I do now? Am I just supposed to carry on working as if nothing’s happening?! And do I see everyone else as a rival, or try to be open and friendly?

Anything in the office that is not nailed down is now technically yours to take home.
Best of luck.

Youll find your so called work mates in small groups, and one by one theyll disapear in the personnel office or the big bosses office, youll hear rumours and hear supportive chat, from the other workmates, keep quiet, say nothing, because your workmates will do everything they possibly can to keep there jobs, been there before and its not nice.

an old Sage told you so.

good luck to you.
i just escaped a round of redundancies at my workplace but i was “at risk” and it’s not a nice feeling. you’ll probably find a lot changes in the way your colleagues treat each other and you. people become mercenary in such times, it’s a survival instinct i suppose. just don’t listen to or partake in gossip.

I’ve just gone through this too. It was dealt with above board (seemingly) and very quickly. It was all done and dusted within a week of us all receiving our first letters with the unlucky ones starting their consultation period from that point.

If your place is dealing with it this way then the chances of the back stabbing and one upmanship having any effect are minimal as a scoring system will be used and there will be little time for the slime to progress.

If not and it’s long and protracted then who knows.

Best of luck.

if they stick to the rules be prepared for stress, 90 days is a long long time!

just been through it and all i now know is fourth quarter i will be redundant.

I’m sorry that you have been dealt this blow! I understand the feelings of job insecurity having been in an industry that always seemed to be shrinking. I was laid off once in the late 80’s when the parent company I worked for went into chapter 11, even though our country unit was booming. The experience has left me with an enduring feeling that no job will ever be totally secure!

Hard as it may seem, try and be yourself and carry on doing you job as best as before.

Get your CV up to date though!

Is the market for people with your skills flat, or are there opportunities out there? Can you start your own consultancy? It all comes down to whether you have a network of people who can put work your way. Explore other avenues open to you. Consider all you have to offer, not just the skills of your current role.

Network with people and search, apply for jobs online. Don’t expect the latter to yield a great deal however. Focus on your network! If you have a lot of technical skills/certification, make sure these are clearly listed in your CV.

The good news is that you have had some warning of impending doom and there is a possibility that you might retain your job anyway (but don’t bank on this). There is nothing worse than the “clear your desk” experience! Whilst your employer is seeming to play fair by informing you now, the result of this will be to make everyone uptight. Keep your feelings to yourself and don’t confide in anyone.

Good luck mate!

I’ve been through this a couple of times. Have to say that I don’t recognise any of the behaviours described above. Just keep working. If you’re one of the lucky ones (assuming you want to stay) you want the company to stay in good shape. Slacking off etc. will just screw it up for good.

Sorry to hear this Nicko. I went through the one month ‘consultation period’ recently. I’ll second mrmo “be prepared for stress”. The consultation period was imposed to prevent companies making knee jerk lay-offs, but I guess they didn’t realize the extra stress that this protracted process causes. Good Luck.

Well I’m back from the pub. Next Wednesday we’ll find out which of the 4 of us is out, and then the consultation period will start. On the plus side, 3 months consultation plus notice is not a bad run at the job market, and the redundancy pay is… reasonable, even with my meagre 18 months for the company. Still, it’s a frustrating position to be in, and one that’s genuinely new for me.
If I do get the payoff, I’m planning to get some new Rebas (w Maxle) and Blue Hope Pro 2 wheels with the cash… 🙂

I was made redundant on 13th March. There’s not alot of work out there. Still, it started well, with a 25 mile off-road commute from my ex-employers office to home after I handed the car back.

Running low on cash now though. 🙁