Dealing with redundancy
Sometimes, certain things are just outside of our control. You can’t decide whether it’s going to rain today, if the apples you bought from the fruit stall will taste nice or whether the buses are going to run on time. You just have to live and let live.
The state of the economy also falls into this bracket.
No matter how hard or how effectively you work, the economy is subject to greater outside forces – things that you can do nothing to alter.
When the economy is going through a bad patch, job security goes more or less out of the window. That applies to everyone in the country, not just you.
With that comes the threat of redundancy. To keep businesses afloat, those managing them sometimes have to make extremely tough decisions, including who to make redundant. That is not necessarily any reflection on you as an individual nor on your capability to do that job properly. It is merely the result of circumstances beyond your control.
However, that doesn’t mean that you should always take redundancy at face value. Even if your redundancy is justified, your employer still has to adhere by certain rules and regulations to give you the best possible chance of finding fresh work.
They must give you as much notice as possible, use a fair process to decide who to make redundant and to have considered alternative roles for you within the organisation prior to making the final decision.
Trying to get to grips with all this can be a little tricky, so it might be a good idea to seek expert advice. The Co-operative can help.
At the other end of a telephone line are experienced, expert legal advisors. These people understand the intricacies of redundancy and will be able to let you know whether your redundancy was fair and whether you have been treated in the right way.
They can also look into a host of other issues – perhaps you were promised time off or got a new job only to find your redundancy was cancelled.
If you are pressed for time, you can also look at some frequently asked questions on their website and try to determine whether your employment situation has been handled correctly yourself.
Whatever the circumstances, you need to be fully aware of your options. A quick phone call or brief glance at a website can help you. Don’t take your redundancy lying down – check your rights and make sure you’ve been treated fairly.
