Redundancy, your positive tales

I was wondering if anyone had any positive tales of a total change of direction post redundancy. Me and the Mrs will have both been made redundant this year, she has been lucky enough to walk straight into a better paid job, happy days etc. I will be jobless by Christmas. However childcare commitments have/will become difficult and I am wondering if anyone has made the step from the corporate world to do something different that fits better around family life:

I am currently exploring training for a trade or becoming a postie, primarily so that I can work locally without a stress of a commute and the general corporate BS culture and be around for my kids more.

Any words of wisdom or thoughts from the STW hive

I took voluntary redundancy a few months ago (still working out my redundancy period ATM in medical diagnostics) and managed to pick up a job with the Environment Agency i have always wanted to do.

The VR, along with a few other things admittedly, kind of gave me the push I needed to get my act together and find something to do that I actually believe in. I think without that I would have stayed in my current job and just festered miserably.

I have no wife and kids s my situation is a bit less complex than yours maybe. Its a new start in a new city which could be good or bad but it will be a change!

Comfortable career disappeared in 1999 with redundancy.

Took career advisor’s advice and spent a year in the gym industry before that went bust.

Then decided to relocate (south east to East Midlands) so we could afford to settle down and have a family on one salary. Both done a variety of public sector jobs part and full time to fit around varying levels of childcare for 13 years now. I’m currently part time/term time, but seriously considering looking at the local Forestry Commission “shadow rangers” programme to get some training and experience in the kind of role I always said I wanted but have never done in my 30 year working life so far.

I’m lucky that MrsMC works in a professional field where she can always earn enough to keep us ticking over, but I’ve never regretted my two redundancies, and I’m not scared of it happening again.

I got laid off from a software developer in 2008 when they had the whole ‘issues’ thingy.

Was out of work for a year. Which was good in some ways (freedom), shit in others (no cash, the soul crushing process of applying for jobs)

Ended up working for a charity and have stayed in the third sector since. Not something I’d considered but I like it and wouldn’t go back now.

Great stuff, thanks for sharing. We are lucky enough that my wifes salary will support us, which does give me the luxury of looking at different options, I need to stop procrastinating soon and focus on a path!

First time was after the financial crisis. First proper job, been there five years, shock to the system. I got on my bike and cycled to Budapest. Best summer ever!

Second time, end of contract. New it was coming, but nothing new lines up. Got on my bike and cycled to Athens. Best Spring ever!

Back in work now over a year on good coin.

Positive enough for ya?

Best thing that ever happened. Took the cash and set up on my own. Guess who my first client was…
Never looked back. Pick something you like doing (and are good at – the two often go together), and give it a shot? What’s to lose?

I have been made redundant twice, admittedly when I was younger. And also not extended on contracts more recently.

Every single time it’s either gone onto something much better; or gone onto something shit that was very short term and then turned into something better than the original job.

I got made redundant – its easy for me as being a nurse I can do agency work. However for the next few years I worked parttime which meant I had lots of time to do the things I wanted to do -lots of walking and cycling and me and my missus have never eaten so well as I had time and energy left for cooking. Lost £20 000 pa or 40% of the household income. It was 10 years and a degree later until I went back to fulltime work.

Think about what is most important to you? How much does your wife earn and how much more than that would you really need to live reasonably? If you consider the cost of doing your previous job – car, suits, buying lunches etc your net loss if you take a lower paid job locally would be less and how much better would your life as a family be?

Of the families amongst my friends those that appear happiest and have the nicest kids are not those with the most money, its those where one parent has been at home a lot of the time.

If you have less money you just need to cut your cloth accordingly.

Note – I have no kids

Redundancy in 2011 was one of the happiest days of my life. I walked away from an office job with the most loathsome and obnoxious people I have ever dealt with in 20 years and never looked back. After a year of sailing, biking around europe and odd jobbing I got into a trade and my life is frankly hilarious by comparison. Sure, I have less money, but so much time to do as I wish.

When I think back to my old 9 to 5 I just shudder

tj plus 1

You never need as much money as you think…

becoming a postie, primarily so that I can work locally without a stress

Most stressful time of my life was 3 months as a postie – and it didn’t even include Christmas!

Other people cope fine with it – somehow.

Didn’t end up changing career – tried a few things and didn’t really get on with them (dog walking for one, drove me nuts), but managed to get a job closer to home where I can ride in everyday. Makes a big difference.

Redundancy, your positive tales

Positive-ish …

Far east economy crisis brought me back to UK. Redundancy was VERY normal for me during that time as companies I worked for went down left right and centre.

At one point my situation was so unbearable in the far east I was only left with £10 (equivalent to £) every month after deducting off fixed expenses. Had to borrow money from my sister to supplement my food bill. Even with a job the pay was shite because companies (most) never pay well.

I remember my assets comprised of only:
One suit case of clothing, one wok, one stewing pot, one mug, one plate, one bowl, one pair chopsticks, spoon and fork. Even my car belonged to the bank (hire purchase), with my repayment term equivalent (years to pay all) to a waiter paying for a 5 series BMW and that’s just for a 665cc Daihatsu Nippa.

Took the risk to retrain then finally after many attempts got back to UK, where I landed a job as a minor bureaucrat. Been a bureaucrat since but now part-time and hopefully I will start my own business in the next 5 years.

Set up a business, it was very successful for a number of years.

Not something I’d do without an idea that I was convinced would work though.

I left with a big wad of cash and set up my own business, doing work I actually wanted to do with people I actually wanted to work with.

When I came across people I didn’t want to work with, I could just get rid of them.

I don’t earn any more money but I do seem to be able to spend more time doing the things I want to do, which is kind of the point of the money, anyway, isn’t it?

Rachel

I only had 2 good jobs and both companies were shut down a year after I left. Staying around was soul destroying and despite the corporate we are fine, when clearly things were not, within a year most jobs had gone.

If I had stayed I would have got some cash, really it’s the nudge most people need.

Never looked back, set up my own thing and just miss the banter, suppose this forum helps in that one.

Been a bureaucrat since

YOU ARE A ZOMBIE MAGGOT!

Thanks everyone, did think about the dog walking one DezB, but that would drive me insane too, I see a lot of people doing it round here though and I bet its fairly lucrative for what is basically driving, walking on the moors and picking up poop.

Most stressful time of my life was 3 months as a postie

Might need to rethink the possibility of being a postman, but I’m pretty sure I will be able to get a job at my local depot straight away and there is some attraction in a 2:30 finish ready to pick the kids up at 3:30.

My boss has just agreed an exit. Means that I’m now v vulnerable – and TBH I could distribute all parts of my job (no direct team) somewhere.

So, am considering having that conversation with boss’s bosses (he has 2 reporting lines) to see if there’s a meaningful senior role I can do. If not I’d like the cash option.

Luckily I earn more than most. But that also brings the pressure of what to do next & how to maintain or enhance income. My likely view is to go contracting in the short term while thinking about the long term. I’d love to work near home, but not many well paying jobs in the North West.

molgrips – Member

Been a bureaucrat since

YOU ARE A ZOMBIE MAGGOT! [/quote]Agree, I am one of them hence I am able to tell you I can spot Zombie Maggots miles away, they can hide but they cannot disguise their true nature or pretend to be something else coz I can see through them easily. 😛

Mine’s positive – 18 months ago it happened to me after 23 years at the same place. After the initial emotional roller coaster, it’s probably the best thing that could have happened at my age now. Kids are big and not about much so not so tied by that commitment. I did consider a postie job too for the same reasons but aside from crap money, I decided not to be tied to working for somone else again after so many years. I managed to get some grant backing and set up a small community interest company recycling stuff. Don’t earn as much as I used to but enough to get by on and it’s so much better working when I want to and with volunteers who really like what they do. Good luck OP.

Work for your self
Working for other people/organisations is mainly crap as someone once said to me “if your not the lead dog you always have your nose up another dogs arse” I prefer to be poor and miserable on my own terms

Was a dairy herd manager for 22 years and was made redundant in July.
When I was told this I had mixed feelings, the job had changed due to a new head of agriculture on the large estate, but I felt I had failed in my efforts in a difficult period of time in the industry. This guy was a first class prick who knew nothing about the dairy industry and not a lot more about agriculture in general.
Last spring I had told my wife that I would do one more winter then I was leaving as it was not the job it once was.
Luckily I walked straight into my dream job (less money but I don’t care)and the redundancy has gone towards buying our own house.
Win, win for me!

oldmanmtb – Member
Work for your self
Working for other people/organisations is mainly crap as someone once said to me “if your not the lead dog you always have your nose up another dogs arse” I prefer to be poor and miserable on my own terms

Totally agree with that. There is a saying in the far east that you will never be successful if you work for someone else regardless of how much you earn.

Got “made redundant” (read “shit, we’ve run out of money, sorry LIFO and all that) 5 times between the back end of 2008 and the middle of 2011. Its fair to say I had a pretty bad run of luck for 2 1/2 years! I do feel a bit better that 3 out of the 5 companies I worked for either ceased trading very soon after, or got bought out by a competitor. The other 2 I’m prepared to admit my face probably didn’t fit their corporate bullshit ethos, but they did me a favour there!

Things you learn when you’ve been made redundant…

1) You don’t need anywhere near as much money to live on as you think you do. This is a lesson a lot of people readily forget when they return to work, but I spent more than 12 months in those 2 1/2 years on the rock’n’roll with little or no savings to dip into, and I’m definitely more frugal as a result. Was talking with a guy I know recently about how he’d love to return to the bike trade, but he NEEDS to earn at least £30k a year minimum to live on, despite his mortgage being almost paid off. His missus expects to eat out 3 times a week (they have 2 teenage kids that like being treated too), and yet she still spends £200 a week at Tesco’s too! She also expects a new car (on Finance) on the drive every 3 years, 2 holidays a year, they’ve got the full SKY TV package etc (about £100 a month now for the whole shebang!), and he has to pay for it all cos she only works about 8hrs a week for minimum wage…

You can live on a LOT less than you think you need when it comes down to it, and still enjoy yourself.

2) Shit happens! It’s not personal, you’re no less worth as a human being, it’s just a crap situation you’ve been dealt. Be positive and your fortunes will turn around.

3) DO NOT be ashamed to sign on. Way too many people think that signing on is just for the great unwashed and the terminally workshy. You’ve paid into the system for a long time for precisely this reason, you’re far more entitled to it than someone who’s just taken out and never paid in all their life! You do not become Frank Gallagher the moment you sign on, but it does mean the system recognises you’re out of work and means you can access help and support elsewhere should you need it. It’s not so much about the £70 a week or whatever it is now, but it keeps you in the system as a NI contributor and shows that you’re actively trying to get back to work.

4) A change is as good as a rest… Embrace change, would you rather be stuck in a job you don’t particularly like, or have the opportunity (even forced upon you) to change your situation for the better long term?

5) What this guy said…

Pick something you like doing (and are good at – the two often go together), and give it a shot? What’s to lose?

You’ll get far more satisfaction from life if you look forward to going to work, and are respected for what you do, than from a big pay cheque…

How has it panned out for me you ask…?

Still sat at work right now, when everyone went home hours ago. BUT… It’s my business! Not only that, it’s MY BIKE SHOP!!! I earn just over half what I did in a couple of jobs I’ve done in the past, but the job satisfaction is much greater, and the toys are way cooler! Don’t get me wrong, it’s a LOT of work for relatively little financial reward, but I enjoy what I do, and I’ve got enough customers that think I’m actually pretty good at it that they keep coming back and putting money in my till every so often… The funny thing is that my friends and family knew me well enough to know it was the right thing to do and I should have done it earlier! I wasn’t good at the 9-5 and corporate crap, but I’m quite good at building fixing and selling bikes. 😀

Thanks all, some great tales and some good food for thought. A bike shop would be great, but I don’t think there would be room in our local market, Ilkley Cycles, All terrain, Chevin, Crosstrax have it covered.

Lots of people setting up lifestyle businesses in town, craft beer shops, cafes, cycle cafes, my wife says we should start one of those.

I’ll hopefully be made redundant in the new year, it’s looking like the end of April if it all goes according to plan. I’ve been there for 17 years and the payout will be reasonable. The plan at the moment is to do a big cycle tour with wifey in June (she’s happy to take a month off work), then a couple of months on the Great Divide route starting late July. I’ll start looking for work around October time which will probably be IT contracting unless I can come up with an alternative.

Chose VR back in 2004. Had been in the role for 5+ yrs and it (and the 90-120 min commute each way) was changing for the worse. Mate in recruitment advised me to take only 4 weeks off. I opted for a year. Gained some ‘me time’, cycled/ran a lot, hung out with friends, got into Buddhism, trained as a coach, separated from the missus, started writing a book and generally enjoyed myself.

Spent 2 years coaching as a result of my training and then got a job utilising those skills + my previous skills. Am still in that field today, only now with one of the big players.

Want to now get more involved with education / coding clubs / STEM in the spare time that I do not have. Which means I will create that spare time.

Redundancy IMO is a bit like leaving a relationship … sometimes it’s for the better, sometimes it isn’t … time and space can be great, other times very painful … lots to consider.

I was made redundant last year with a nice pay off which was banked and wife was working. No money issues but did cut back. Downside was job hunting, jobs worth center visits and lack of cash.

Wife liked it as I was keeping the house clean and tidy with dinner cooked each night.

Mrs S took VR in Feb, we’ve had a lovely summer, happy kids, clean house, everybody chilled. She’s been back at work for a month now and it’s effing chaos.

I was made redundant at the end of 2011, decided to take some time off, did LeJoG and then took more time off. After about 12 months of doing not much I started looking for gainful employment and had a hard time of it.

Since then I have started contracting, had to roles to date (first was close to 2 years, second has seen me through 2016).

Contracting has been kind to me and let me do a lot of biking, I am currently working away from home and living in Dublin during the week. Riding here is ace and I am loving the increased income.

Mrs PF was made redundant from her teaching role at Notts City Council about 5 years ago.

She now has a 1st class degree, a Master’s Degree and has just started her PhD.

I’d say it has worked out for her.

As above, she chose something she likes and it turns out she’s extremely good at it.

Good luck,

APF

I was made redundant out of the blue (well the building industry was knackered) nearly 4 years ago. I’d been in the same job for 11 years and they looked after me well financially, I got nearly double what I was entitled to.
I’d been saying, in jest thinking it’d never happen, for years that if I got made redundant I’d retrain and get a bike mechanics job. So I did. It was fairly easy to be honest. I don’t miss 7am-5pm days and 55 hours a week and because we don’t have a flash car on finance and we’re not mortgages up to the eyeballs we still live well
I’m really glad it happened. 🙂

Company takeover, had shares in the company so profit from the sale, then new buyers kicked half the development staff out, and got very healthy redundancy on top.

Enough to chill out for a bit and set up contracting.

Redundancy isn’t an option now (well, suppose I could make myself redundant 😀 ), but the money is way better, work/life is flexible, the politics far less, and in a position now to pick and choose. Generally avoiding the default chained to a desk type jobs (by avoiding agents). Haven’t had a formal contract in ages. Just doing work for clients and sending them invoices.

Been a very up and down last few years for me. I was living near Guildford and had a good job working for a law firm for nearly 10 years and training at night school to become a fully fledged solicitor, but due to the large number of fly by night ambulance chasers and the fees insurance companies wanted for claims, i was made redundant from there, as i couldn’t afford to not work (wife was pregnant at time and we had a Surrey mortgage) i ended up commuting 128 miles round the M25 to work at another law firm in Croydon. Horrible job and often spent 4 1/2-5 hours a day commuting spending a fortune in fuel.

In addition, once my daughter was born, my wife was working part time as a radiotherapist, but her wage essentially went on childcare, which seemed ridiculous.

So we decided to move to the country and moved to North Norfolk, where she is from and where we would have help with childcare from the in laws. Property was so much cheaper and we bought a 3 bed house for same price as 2 bed flat in Surrey.

Ended up working on the Defendant side for an insurance company, but then have been made redundant a second and third time, from small insurers in Norwich in quick succession as big companies close their “local satellite offices”, so redundant now 3 times in 5 years!

But i have never been out of work for more than a month, if you graft there is always some sort of work out there, i’ve done farm work, factory work etc in between.

Overall i’m earning a lot less than before, but i don’t drive round M25 for hours a day, i live in a quiet picturesque village with the “best beach in UK” 8 miles away. Pace of life is slower, but i can ride bike to work, if i want eggs or veg. I put money through an honesty box and take them from surrounding houses, there is a brewery in the next village and i’m content!

(only trouble is the mountain biking is a bit rubbish!)

Made redundant from a Biotech firm that was developing a worlds first in terms of anti-cancer treatment – it was beyond cutting edge biotechnology. The company that bought them though, made a very idiotic decision when deciding on the clinical trials – they basically tested it terminal patients only who had very very aggressive cancer and thus the product was released to market without a label that stated it increased survival rates. NICE declined to purchase it, Brexit was a risk, so they shut the place down and moved the senior R&D and anlytical scientists over to the states on crazy wages and transfered QC responsibility to Ireland.

However, I’ve moved out of the lab into Quality Assurance now – which is a fast track to management, so things are looking up.

Mrs and I both opted for VR rather than relocation about 10 years ago. Took the money, sold our house, paid off what was left of our student loans and moved to the Alps.

Now (mostly) make my living from riding my bike on awesome trails.

10x more stress and worry and way less free time than I ever had in a “real” job 😆 but can’t imagine ever going back.

Could I ask you guys some advice as you have all been through this?

My wife is in the consultation process as we speak. The employer is asking her to come up with ideas for jobs so she isn’t made redundant. Is this normal, surely they should come up with the ideas as they know the business plan for the future?

I was given my redundancy letter on Christmas eve. I think that speaks volumes. Tbh though my head was already out of there. I think the mindset is (or should be) as soon as you feel loyalty gone, your heart should leave the door on the spot.

Google the term ‘rusted out’. When you spend too long in a job. It’s different to burnt out. Very different.