The Redundancy Escape Plan

Part Four in the Surviving Redundancy blogs

So now you have told your family that you have been made redundant and the emotional shock is, mostly, behind you. What happens next?

The answer is simple – you plan.

You draw up a plan of attack to save yourself, and your family, from the situation that you have been thrust into. Your plan should cover a number of areas:

Budgeting – if you haven’t done it before then now is the time to draw up a monthly budget so that you and your partner know where the money you do have is going to be spent. Be realistic and record everything. You might find it useful to see this blog Stemming the Flow where I outline some budget writing ideas.

Economising – no one likes to do this but your income just got seriously reduced so now is the time to cut out the non essentials. If the pain of giving something up is too much then consider cutting down. Bear in mind that retail therapy has a time and a place but now isn’t it! Remember that hopefully you are only going to have to do this for a short time.

In case anyone is confused the difference between budgeting and economising is that budgeting is the recording, in advance, of what money is going to be spent and where; economising is agreeing to spend less on things.

Job hunting – You need a job and probably sooner rather than later. However it pays to sit down and think through exactly what kind of job you want. Rushing into something now might mean further upset down the road as you struggle with a job you hate. So give some serious thoughts to what you want to do next. I have an e-book titled “How to Succeed at Job Hunting” which will be available soon – more news on that when it is ready.

Good times – So you’ve done the serious tasks of economising, budgeting and job hunting take some time to consider that life goes on. You should take some time out to plan some fun things. You might find that by not being able to purchase a ton of new things to entertain yourself frees you to enjoy some of the other things in life.

Consider how you can spend quality time with the people in your life. Does being redundant mean that you are now home with your partner? Then use some of the time, when not job hunting, to do things together. Go for walks, visit art galleries and museums or simple sit and talk in the comfort of your own home.

Is now an opportunity to do some small household tasks or spring clean the house? Do you have an attic or garage that could do with a clear out? You might indeed find some things to sell on sites like ebay as you clear things out!

I leave it to you to consider how you can spend your time. You might not have a job right now but you do have a life. I encourage you to turn your situation into as positive an experience as you can whilst at the same time you plan your way forward.

Until next time

Stephen Hart

Breaking the News

Third entry in a series of blogs to help those made redundant.

So you’ve been made redundant. It’s a shock, you probably feel angry, confused and worried. Worst of all you start to wonder how you are going to break the news to your partner and family.

I’ve been there and I remember how it felt. I was more upset about how my partner would feel when I told her than I was about the news itself. I also remember the intense turmoil of indecision, of whether to call or wait until I could tell her in person .

For me then; and it’s my advice today; don’t ring and tell the news. This is the type of news that should be given in person so that you can provide some comfort.

The only time I would suggest you ring is if the person might find out from someone else. It might be that you have a neighbour who works in the same company who might tell his partner; who might tell yours. In that instance I would suggest calling.

Whether over the phone or in person I would tell the news at the first opportunity. It isn’t going to get easier if you delay and  frankly, there is no good time to share this type of information.

What I would do is ensure that you and your partner are in a position to speak openly and freely. This is a conversation that might get emotional and that’s okay. You simply need to ensure that people have the space to vent their feelings.

Consequently I would try to have the conversation without children present and with as little chance of them interrupting as possible. I’m not a big fan of television for children but this is one of those times where putting on a film for them would be ideal.

If you come home and have to create the above space to speak then simply tell your partner that you have something serious to talk about and you want to do it without interruptions. To any children, explain that you need a few minutes to talk to mum or dad about some grown up stuff and please would they not interrupt you.

Once you have the space, give the news simply and directly. Tell them the outcome: redundancy – and then give them the all details as you have them. It’s bad news no matter how you spin it and whilst being made redundant can be a great career move (more on that in a later blog) at the time it only feels like bad news.

Do expect your partner to get upset and it’s okay to get upset yourself as you share the news. Find a common strength to go on. I know that many people, especially men of an older generation, were brought up not to show emotions. Nonsense I would say. Feel the pain, empathise with your partner and remember that no one has died. You still have a future and what you can take from this event is a desire to move forward into the future together.

Once you have shared the news with your partner decide how and when you are going to tell the children or other involved parties.

And once all the news sharing has been done I would suggest taking some time out to all be together. Have a family meal, play a game, watch a movie or simply sit and talk about other things. Find strength and comfort in each other.

Tomorrow is another day and tomorrow is when you can plan the rest of your future.

Until next time;

Stephen

Stephen Hart

This is the third in a series of blogs aimed at helping people who are facing redundancy. The other two were Surviving Redundancy and Marshalling Your Resources. All can be found in the Surviving Redundancy catagory.

Marshalling Your Resources

Companies don’t want to make people redundant. That’s never their aim. Circumstances force them to do so. Consequently many companies will be sympathetic to workers and want to help them.

Even in the unlucky event that a company doesn’t appear to want to care you should be able to find sympathetic people within the organisation who can help you.

As mentioned in Surviving Redundancy one of the first this things you must do is ask your company what support they can provide. In particular find out how long you can keep any company equipment such as phone, car, laptop etc.

This is one of those times where, assuming your really need it, I’d be perfectly willing to beg, please and call in favours. Once when I had been made suddenly redundant I found myself being asked to clear my desk and leave immediately.

As this happened at the height of summer I had the usual personal items plus a large desk fan that I had brought in myself. Not really wanting to carry this armful of items home on the bus I asked the divisional director, who had just made me redundant, for money for taxi fare – he obliged.

It’s a small example, and I’m not saying tap your boss for a loan, what I’m saying is call in favours if it is going to help you. Ask to keep the car for another week; to help you get to interviews or ask to use laptop to produce your cv.

Looking at the bigger picture coaches, like myself, and career management firms are available for hire by companies to provide support and advice to people who have been made redundant. If your company hasn’t brought in someone then suggest they do. Also if your company has one, talk to your human resources department about helping you start your job hunting.

Again if the company officially won’t help you speak to people within the business if looking for career advice ask one of the directors or senior managers if they would be willing to help you. If typing and laying out a CV is a problem then see if you can find a sympathetic administrator or secretary.

The simply fact is that you are in a crisis situation and you need to marshal your resources to help you come out a winner. So start with those resources immediately to hand – your company.

In my next blog on redundancy I will talk about how to bring the news of your redundancy  home- that will appear later this week.

Until next time;

Stephen

Stephen Hart

Picture by kind permission of Amanda Jones

Surviving Redundancy

Redundancy is a plague that is sweeping the country. Companies make the headlines but it’s the people that suffer.

This is the first in a new series of twice weekly blogs in which I will be outlining strategies for surviving redundancy.

To begin at the beginning let me empathise with you. I can remember vividly each time I was made redundant. The shock and numb disbelief, the crushing realisation that despite being good at my job and working hard circumstances outside of my control had taken it away from me.

After the shock of the announcement two things always hit me. First, how was I going to tell my wife and second, how was I going to pay the bills?

What I have learnt over time, and it’s really the first lesson I would share with you, is it’s okay to have these feelings. It’s okay for a mature man, or woman, to be upset about losing their job and to be worried about what is going to happen next.

So be upset, be angry, hate the injustice and feel those feelings but don’t, and this is important, don’t let them blind you to the practical tasks ahead.

The very first practical task is to find out the exact details of your redundancy. When is it happening, how much will you be paid and when will you receive payment. And if you are in possession of company equipment e.g. car, laptop or phone you need to find out how long you can keep possession of those.

You should find out that information at the time they announce your redundancy. Make sure you get specific details. You want to know exact dates and amounts. Remember to always be professional and polite and consider if the person making the announcement is the right person with whom to discuss the decision. It might be that they are only the messenger not the decision maker.

Further to the previous point, if you ask the questions listed below consider who else you could ask. It might be that you personally know other senior people in the business who could help you. This is all about your future after all so consider all angles.

If you didn’t find this blog until after you had been made redundant there is no reason why you shouldn’t go back to your company and ask the following questions:

1. Why is this happening specifically to me?
2. How could the decision be overturned?
3. What circumstances would need to exist to have the decision overturned?
4. How far back would it be possible to delay the redundancy date?
5. What other roles are available within the company / group?
6. Who can I get a good reference from?
7. What support will you give me?

The harsh fact of your situation is that your income has ended yet your bills are ongoing. This is a crisis situation and you need to maximise all your resources. Your biggest resource at this moment, even though it might not feel like it, is your current company.

It’s going to feel lousy, you’ll be angry, worried and anxious for the future. That’s normal and healthy. Let yourself feel those emotions with out recrimination and make sure you ask the practical questions listed above to make your situation as informed as possible. Knowledge is power after all.

In the next blog, on redundancy – Marshalling Your Resources I discuss the types of support that your company can provide and in the blog after that I will discuss the really hard part – letting your partner and family know what has happened.

Until next time;

Stephen

Stephen Hart

Picture by demostheses with thanks