A blessing or a curse, redundancy pay and redundancy law on entitlements is probably not your uppermost thought for the day! If you do find yourself in this situation however, you shoudl know your rights and also see this as an opportunity to try something different.
Redundancy pay and entitlements vary from business to business, however for some it is the psychological effect that it may bring. Redundancy is not the same as getting fired - dismissal is when an individual loses their job, but is when the job itself disappears, for example when an employer needs to reduce their workforce.
In this situation, the employer must follow certain rules. They will usually have to:
- Give notice and consult with the workforce.
- Provide redundancy pay to most staff who have worked for more than two years.
- They cannot choose who gets made loses their job on the basis of sex, race, disability, pregnancy, etc.
If this happens to you, it's a good time to assess where you are and where you want to be. Think about what you have achieved, and take a good look at your skills, qualities, strengths and experience. Look around and find out what's available, both in terms of alternative work or training.
There are actually a number of options available:
- Look for a job
- Update your skills or qualifications within your field
- Change career or re-train
- Change to working more flexible hours, whether part-time, shift work, job sharing or working from home
- Work for yourself - self employment, freelancing, or franchising
- Volunteer to gain new and relevant experience
- Relocate to new area to find work, or even consider working abroad.
If you need help there are a number of agencies out there who can help you through this difficult time - first port of call would be your local Job Centre or Citizen's Advice Bureau.
