Have you ever been made redundant?

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What would you do next?

Get another job straight away?

Do some training first and then get a job?

Take a couple of months off (assuming the payoff was big enough)?

I haven't been... yet.. just in case any one asks.

 

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Yup, signed onto JSA for 3 months, took some forklift training and got a job, been working the same job since. Doesn't pay well but a jobs a job.

 

I agree, longest time I was out of work was 6 months but that was after a contract, never a perm role.

Just wondering how others view it, is it a good thing or a bad thing? Fresh start and all that.

 

Depends really, if you're someone with tons of skills and experience in different things then it can be a good thing I suppose.

 

I guess it will also depend on any gardening leave requirements.

 

Got made redundant once, only two weeks gardening leave, no payoff, during a recession, on a job I'd done 100's hours free overtime, it sucked !

Got put risk of redundancy another place, survived first round, but decided to quit after that, and went and did the trans-Siberian railroad, best thing I ever did.

Got put at risk redundancy another place after that, waited a year, got taken off risk, decided to go contracting, never looked back.

Never ever had any direct advantages from redundancy, like payoffs, its always been the business looking after its finances and interests, so now I look after mine.

 

I have been threatened with redundancy a few times, but each time found something else and jumped before pushed. Unless you have a 12 year plus record and a decent (Month per year type) redundancy agreement, then IMO just not worth hanging on for if you are able to find another role beforehand.

Happened real recent again actually, been in new job for 4 weeks now after the same situation again, still feel that I defo made the right decision despite having the above mentioned decent deal but with only 6 years service. New role already gave a nice payrise, so will make that potential payoff in less than a year and a half on new salary and not got to worry about no work. If that makes sense.

 

I hear you, thing is I know people who have benefited greatly from being paid off, decent tax free lump sums etc.

I have heard people get approximately 6 months salary (take home) as a package, certainly my wife when she was made redundant didn't really need to worry about work for a while.

 

I think at this point in my life if I was off work for 3 months I would get seriously bored! I complain about going but honestly when I have time off I get so bored. I have a few weeks booked off in August, worrying how I will spend my time tbh.

 

Lol I would love a couple of months off, last year I had to carry over 10 days leave because I just didn't have the time to take leave, I have 10 days at the end of August and I still have 11 days beyond that to take.

I do admit that my wife would have me doing all sorts tho, I would need to be out of the house, if I had a couple of months off work I would study for the LPIC and VCAP exams I think.

 

I took voluntary when I was in public sector, the place was being closed down so involuntary was not much further along anyway.
At the time it wasn't particularly nice knowing I had to go find something else, but at least there was plenty of warning to sort something out.
I managed to get a job offer through the day I got the confirmation I was accepted for VR.
Don't think I even had any time off between the two, left one place on a Friday and started new job on the Monday.
As was public sector got a nice payout considering I'd not even been there that long ;) If I'd have waited the 6 months longer or so for the compulsory then I'd have ended up with a bit more cash (basically 3 months gardening leave), but I preferred to go a little earlier having a job lined up.

Ultimately whilst at the time it wasn't particularly nice, due to the work I did and my location the chances of finding anything similar locally were slim to none, it was the best thing that ever happened to me career wise and have done very well since then so wouldn't change a thing!

 

Ask me again in 3 weeks.... could be my turn

 

Its the uncertainty factor isn't it, good luck then, hope it goes your way.

 

I don't think I was ever made redundant. I've always been fortunate enough to work for companies that were pretty stable financially and thus avoiding any potential risks in losing my job. However, I can see that being a difficult time as I have friends whom this has happened to.

I think that today, if I were made redundant, I'd most likely go contracting route.

 

I was made redundant back in 2003, I was back in work within a couple of months and during that time I had time to regroup my thoughts and set out a better plan for my direction.

That was also the time I started CertForums.

 

I was made redundant late 2012. Best thing to happen to me since it kick started my career in IT.

 

November 2010. Had worked for the firm for about 3.5 years as a QA manager (Mobile Games).
Best thing that ever happened to me. Got a good pay off, and was going to Vegas for NYE so that helped.

Came home, sat down and looked at other lines of work. Started studying for A+ and my MCP. Was out of "Full Time" employment for about 6 months. I was doing anything that came up while I was studying. Sorting Office, General Factory work on awful money, but as I was still living it at home it wasn't too bad. Managed to survive and it really gave me the kick up the @rse to get on with the studying.

 

I have, sort of.

Worked for one of the large mobile providers in the UK, who shall remain anonymous.

I worked on 2nd line support, helping out 3rd line whenever they were short.

Was asked to visit other offices and help train up more staff to move onto 2nd line roles, in essence helping
out our teams workloads. After around 6 months, i'd trained up about 50-60 staff, and were live in support calls.

few months down the line, head office vice presidents decided to visit, held a meeting to advise us we were all losing
our jobs in 3 months time. They had essentially used me to train up my replacements, fuming was an understatement.

couple weeks after this, somebody approached my desk in the day, told me to lock my computer and move from my desk, searched
my drawers, lockers, everything. "Where do you keep your passwords?" i was asked. To which i replied i remember them all. Bloke
was a complete and utter douchebag thinking he was some sort of computer forensic.

When he finally accepted i was clever enough to remember my passwords, i was ushered into a room where they interviewed me
and i was accused of "Accessing unauthorized systems"

Basically the 3rd line support i was doing to help out the workload. I was logged onto the systems with a login they provided to me
so i could help them. Company then pinned this to me and said i wasn't authorized.

14 of us had this who all did the same with the training, and then accessing systems to help 3rd line out.

Disciplinary hearing - was told to either resign or be fired.

I resigned, missing on a 5k payout. Mine was minimal compared to another guy who'd been there 15 years, he was due £20,000 odd, he
stayed on, and they dismissed him for gross misconduct.

I learnt a hard way around then, but luck was on my side and i actually landed the job i had before this which set me up in my career
path, so whilst it's annoying they screwed me royally, if it never happened, i probably wouldn't be where i am now.

Bitter sweet i guess