The facts about redundancy

Redundancy is horrible. Fact.

However, that doesn’t change the current economic climate and dwelling on the negatives certainly won’t help in the long run.

Since the start of the pandemic the majority of the UK has sat at home and watched as businesses furloughed staff and slowly saw the financial squeeze take hold, affecting everyone from local greengrocers to international airlines. So, it is somewhat inevitable that some businesses would have to cut jobs through redundancies to survive, others completely fell to their knees and entered into administration again leaving employee’s in-line for the job centre.

If you are one of the many unfortunate employees who have been ‘laid-off’, the realisation of this will come as a shock and naturally you will recoil, moving into denial, anger and eventually acceptance of the current situation. But what can you do to get through the redundancy process and to get back up to move forwards?

Let’s start at the beginning;

Understand your rights and if you don’t know your rights, find someone that does!

Employment law can be confusing at the best of times and redundancy is an area which many employees have never experienced and don’t fully understand. After being told by your employer that you are at risk, you need to take control of the process by speaking to HR, speaking to your union (if you are a member), ACAS, Citizens Advice or even a friend who understands the process better. Make sure that you understand what rights you have, what possibility there is for compensation and the time-scale in which redundancies are to be made.

Get into the right mind-set

After gaining an understanding of the process, time-frames and compensation you need to get yourself into the right frame of mind to pick yourself up and move forwards. This is a good time to review your finances, plan for the short-term and look at your options. Deciding what your next career move is can be an exciting prospect and some people take this opportunity to retrain in a new skill or completely change career. Finally, don’t be afraid to seek financial support during this time, sometimes you need to put aside your pride and do what you need to survive.

Update your CV and put yourself out there

If you have been in the same role for a while then your CV may be a little out of shape. ORB Recruitment have templates available to download from our website and tips on how best to write a great CV. If you need further help our consultants are on hand to assist and guide you through the process of selling your experience to prospective employers and once your CV is up to date it’s time to have a look at what jobs are out there, speak to recruitment consultants, approach employers directly and speak to friends and family. If you are serious about finding a new job, then there are jobs to be found.

Set a daily schedule

Try to keep a ‘normal’ schedule and plan out your days so that when you are at home, you are focussed and on-track to gain new employment. Whilst it may be nice to have some time off from the normal grind, it’s easy to slip into being distracting and wasting your days. It’s easiest to find a new job within the first month of being made redundant. Remember to regularly check out our facebook page, website and other job boards for recent new vacancies.

Get that job!

Once you have done the hard part and secured an interview, keep the momentum going and prepare well for the interview, be confident and sell your experience. Chances are you will be the preferred candidate if you have shown loyalty to your previous employer and given many years of service there before redundancy. We also have a lot of tips and hints for interview success available online, or if you prefer our consultants can give advice over the phone and answer any questions you have by email.

Mental health & supporting others

Throughout the process of redundancy and your search for a new role it’s important to consider your mental health. Now more than ever there are a variety of options to access support and help but the first step is talking to someone, whether that’s your partner, your GP, a friend or even one of our consultants, there is help available. If you are worried about your mental health below are contact numbers which may help to support you;

The Samaritans: 116 123

Anxiety UK: 03444 775 774

Mind: 0300 123 3393

SANEline: 0300 304 7000

After you have secured a new role remember that many others that you previously worked with could be in the same situation as you and at the beginning of the process. If this is the case, try to support them where you can. The chances are that they are still in the initial stages of confusion, anger and shock but you are proof that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

For support, further information or assistance head to www.orb-recruitment.co.uk or feel free to contact ORB Recruitment today on 0843 289 2555 or recruitment@orb-recruitment.co.uk.