# Facing Redundancy - AGAIN!!



## MarkAndrews (Oct 27, 2008)

I got told on Friday that they are moving my dept to another location (60 miles away) so there is a chance that I’ll either be made redundant, or be dumped in another role if I do not relocate 

Thing is, relocation would involve travelling 120 miles per day (I only travel 100 miles a week) so if I don’t relocate, or take another job at the site where I am, I’ll be made redundant 4 weeks before Xmas with less than 2 yrs service, i wont get a penny!

BRILLIANT!!


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## Thorin (Oct 27, 2008)

I can understand how you feel, I had the same thing 3 years ago, redundancy or 140 mile round trip with a different job.

I took the redundancy option (luckily I was over the 2 years service and did get a small amount).

Wouldn't you know it a year later I was back with the same company doing the 140 mile round trip, I didn't have many options open to me. I one years time the project I'm on will be complete so may be in the same boat again.

Hope your choices prove better suited for you, and that it will all work out for the best.


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## MarkAndrews (Oct 27, 2008)

Thorin said:


> I can understand how you feel, I had the same thing 3 years ago, redundancy or 140 mile round trip with a different job.
> 
> I took the redundancy option (luckily I was over the 2 years service and did get a small amount).
> 
> ...


 
Thanks Andy


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## justme (Oct 27, 2008)

Sorry to hear of that at such a bad time of year.  Hope these world markets straighten out soon.  Too many people facing downsizing and disruption in their lives.  

Best of luck.


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## TinaP (Oct 27, 2008)

Best of luck to you.  

It really stinks to have this happen right before the holidays and now doubly so since the economy is in the toilet.


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## Domski (Oct 28, 2008)

Unlucky fella. I'd probably take the new job on site and spend the extra time that you would use travelling looking for something elsewhere.

Best of luck,

Dom


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## MarkAndrews (Oct 28, 2008)

Domski said:


> Unlucky fella. I'd probably take the new job on site and spend the extra time that you would use travelling looking for something elsewhere.
> 
> Best of luck,
> 
> Dom


 

My petrol costs would tripple a week so just not financially viable Dom


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## klb (Oct 28, 2008)

Mark,
You have my sympathy.
Almost 6 years ago, we were told that all of HR, including Risk Management, would be moving from Minnesota to Wisconsin.  Fortunately my boss managed to get us an indefinite reprieve while she finished law school.
In January of this year, we were told that Risk Management move would now happen and I received a termination letter effective June 30.  It took them almost 4 months to find my replacement because of unique combination of skills required by this job (including Excel), so my termination agreement was renegotiated with a deadline of  December 31.  My replacement was hired and we tried to do 6 months of training in less that 3 months.  
Now she has been offered a job where she can work from home, better pay, better vacation and doing her first love of programming.  So my boss is now interviewing again.  
That was last week and I am still waiting to hear what my new termination date will be.  I had been looking forward to retirement by the end of the year so that I would not have to deal with winter on a daily commuting basis. 

Good luck,

PS.  The rest of Risk Management did move at the end of June and I am still in Minnesota.


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## absquatulation (Oct 28, 2008)

I’m sorry to hear of your news. I also have been “let go” a number of times. All I can suggest is that you get back on the treadmill as soon as possible. 

Update your CV for a number of different roles, and send each variant of your CV to as many different places as possible.

For me it also seemed to take about 6 months to find another job. I live in a high unemployment area, with very little industrialisation – the only job is farming – and I can’t drive a tractor (but I do come from Zummerset).


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## Domski (Oct 28, 2008)

MarkAndrews said:


> My petrol costs would tripple a week so just not financially viable Dom


 
That's why I wouldn't agree to move!!!


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## Jon von der Heyden (Oct 28, 2008)

It's contagious!  Our co. is also undergoing reorg.  We're losing 17500 jobs worldwide, and being a corporate division we are being heavily hit (our UK div around 650 heads - losing approx 100).  Fortunately I'm safe, but nobody goes unscathed.  I'm having to absorb so much more work - as inevitably the jobs done by those made redundant are far from redundant!

I'm going part-time in January to pursue my consultancy career.  I'm petrified that I won't secure enough contracts - but fortunately I can always go full time again!

My sympathies mate!  I hope you manage a longer xmas break   No too long tho!


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## MarkAndrews (Nov 3, 2008)

Thanks for all the good wishes guys, its appreciated

I have a meeting in 2 hours which will then put me on a 30 day consultation period (which they have to do by law)

I am looking at taking redundancy as i know there are no other suitable roles on this site which are available at the moment & inevitably this company are on their way down...........

Dom - If i find a job in Leeds we'll have to do lunch (Liquid that is )

absquatulation - I'm on the same thinking lines as you, i emailed 30 or so agencies last week, so fingers crossed

klb - sounds like your going through a much rougher time, good luck 

Jon - Thanks for the best wishes


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## Domski (Nov 3, 2008)

Indeed, best of luck with the job hunting!!!


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## Long Nose (Nov 5, 2008)

If you relocated and moved 120 miles to the job, would that not be an option?  Wouldn't you then not have to commute a long distance?

I relocated 2 years ago, 600 miles from my former city, but my new company paid $5,000 for relocation expenses.

Just curious, what are some reasons you would not move?  How about any others, would you not move for the job?

Best of luck with the job search.


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## Domski (Nov 6, 2008)

What if you relcocate 120 miles and then 12 months later you lose your job again and you've also moved 120 miles away from your friends and your life.

I firmly believe in fitting work around your life and not your work. I would think twice about even taking a job outside of Leeds city centre. The only place I've ever been mildly tempted with was London when I finished university but once I'd been down to see friends a few times knew it wasn't for me (the commuting put me off for a start).

Also at the sort of level I'm at I very much doubt anyone would pay me $500 let alone $5000 to move me to work for them.


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## Long Nose (Nov 6, 2008)

Life is risky to be sure.  Perhaps Americans are more transient citizens than the UK folk.  Growing up I lived on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, in the mountains and plains of Colorado, the Gulf coast of Florida, and the Shenandoah valley of Virginia.  I guess I don't know what it is like to stay in one place too long.


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## MarkAndrews (Nov 6, 2008)

Domski said:


> What if you relcocate 120 miles and then 12 months later you lose your job again and you've also moved 120 miles away from your friends and your life.
> 
> I firmly believe in fitting work around your life and not your work. I would think twice about even taking a job outside of Leeds city centre. The only place I've ever been mildly tempted with was London when I finished university but once I'd been down to see friends a few times knew it wasn't for me (the commuting put me off for a start).
> 
> Also at the sort of level I'm at I very much doubt anyone would pay me $500 let alone $5000 to move me to work for them.


 
Dom, I'll pay you £500 (a year) to come and work for me


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## Domski (Nov 6, 2008)

You're all heart fella, I need to be able to afford my nice holidays so might need a little more than that.

I'm being interviewed for a promotion next week so fingers crossed for that and that you land yourself a plum roll soon enough.

Dom


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## klb (Nov 6, 2008)

Good luck with the interview Dom.

I agree with you that work needs to fit around a person's life.  My option was to stay in a major metropolitan area with friends and family or move to a small town of 25,000 people and the only people I would know would be work associates.  Called that a "no-brainer".  
My boss and others have moved and some are having a difficult time of it.  Some are now back in Minneapolis looking for jobs in tough times.  

The move has to be right for the person and their family.


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## Smitty (Nov 6, 2008)

Ain't it a *****.  Two years ago when I was reassigned to Northern California from the San Diego area, I was told that I could stay in SD, but knew my head would be on the block, so I took the company's moving allowance and moved up here.  Unfortunately, we couldn't sell our newly purchased house down south and had no choice but to let it go to foreclosure (in one of the hardest hit foreclosure markets in California).  5-10 years ago the company would have paid the lesser of my expenses until the house sold, this time I was lucky to keep the job.

Now we're going through our third or fourth round of RIF's, so I'm just glad to be employed, but the old resume has been polished up for a while and the active search is on...

Best of luck!


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## Greg Truby (Nov 6, 2008)

Headcount at my particular facility when I started eleven years ago: 300+.  Five or six years ago came elimination of a couple of departments whose jobs were automated away. So 280 or so left.  Then three years ago a big one -- outsourcing logistics jobs to a 3rd party provider who paid 30-40% per hour what we had.  That cut headcount to 130 or so.  Last year outsourced first-tier phone jobs to Manila -- so down to 100 or so.  Last month moved 2nd tier phone jobs to another state to "consolidate all CS phone ops into one location."  So now we're sitting at about 75 or so.  Only five core departments left.  Best guess is all are probably good for another two years.  Nonetheless, I will be updating my resumé over the winter.


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## akash011 (Nov 6, 2008)

Management move would now happen and I received a termination letter effective June 30. It took them almost 4 months to find my replacement because of unique combination of skills required by this job (including Excel), so my termination agreement was renegotiated with a deadline of December 31.


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## DonkeyOte (Nov 7, 2008)

Sorry to hear that akash011 -- times are hard for sure... 

I prefer to look at it this way -- if you have a unique skill-set that makes you hard to replace for your existing company it means 2 things 

a) someone else is going to need you as your skill-set is scarce
b) whomever it is that hires you will be a better place for your presence

I think sometimes in this climate it's easy to lose sight of who is really working for whom ... no one I know would admit to working for a hobby - thus if you're good at what you do (and possibly even if you're not!) there's always going to be someone who needs you and if the people you work for don't appreciate that that's there look out right ?  Moreover I'd always prefer to work somewhere where I know they're over the moon to have me as opposed to working somewhere where I'm viewed in budget terms as a 1*40% more expensive than a 1 in a different geographic location.  

Obviously losing your job is crappy but someone else's loss is someone else's gain ... remember Newton's 3rd law!

(ok, it wasn't technically designed with employment in mind but I'm sure Newton would approve of it's usage in this context and if not that's tough given he's dead'n'all).


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## arkusM (Nov 10, 2008)

All the best to all who are looking for new jobs...

It struck me reading through this thread that the word redundant is a brutal word. Are the companies trying to feel better about letting you go/firing/terminating or is there some legal obligation they are trying to get out of ???  Corporate lingo is so lame...

As if those facing "redundancy" are less impacted by such a pansy word.
I have been blessed as I have only had to hear such words a couple of times, but before I had a family to look after... 

Anyway, good hunting and go well friends.


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## MarkAndrews (Nov 11, 2008)

I had an interview at a place in Leeds yesterday, which went well so fingers crossed


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## MarkAndrews (Nov 11, 2008)

Domski said:


> You're all heart fella, I need to be able to afford my nice holidays so might need a little more than that.
> 
> I'm being interviewed for a promotion next week so fingers crossed for that and that you land yourself a plum roll soon enough.
> 
> Dom


 
OK, i can possibly stretch to £600

How did you get on Dom?


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## Domski (Nov 11, 2008)

MarkAndrews said:


> OK, i can possibly stretch to £600
> 
> How did you get on Dom?


 

Now you're talking my kind of money!!! Interview's tomorrow but I'm tempted not to bother with an offer like that .

Where was the interview Mark? Hope it wasn't for the job I'm going for !!!


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## MarkAndrews (Nov 11, 2008)

Domski said:


> Now you're talking my kind of money!!! Interview's tomorrow but I'm tempted not to bother with an offer like that .
> 
> Where was the interview Mark? Hope it wasn't for the job I'm going for !!!


 
You have PM Dom


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## absquatulation (Nov 11, 2008)

Good luck Mark & Dom.

I’ve always felt that redundancy is a cruel punishment. In the UK, they have to tell you “your job is at risk” and allow a “consultancy” period. Even though both you and the company knows the end result, they have to stretch this exquisite method of torture out. This forces you to attend work (and perhaps actually do some) for a month, then receive either the one, or three months notice, again with attendance. 

However I do feel the worst method is short working. You end up by being paid for the days you attend, two or three days a week. – This forces the more desperate to look for other work – without any payoff if they do leave, and the remainder to use up their savings effectively shoring up the company. 

See attached link to a company close to me.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/shropshire/7720823.stm

It’s a BBC link so should be virus free and definitely safe for work!


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## MarkAndrews (Nov 11, 2008)

absquatulation said:


> Good luck Mark & Dom.
> 
> I’ve always felt that redundancy is a cruel punishment. In the UK, they have to tell you “your job is at risk” and allow a “consultancy” period. Even though both you and the company knows the end result, they have to stretch this exquisite method of torture out. This forces you to attend work (and perhaps actually do some) for a month, then receive either the one, or three months notice, again with attendance.
> 
> ...


 
Exactly my thoughts - I am on consultation at the moment & it's driving me nuts, soul destroying doing the work on a day to day basis


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## Domski (Nov 13, 2008)

Got it!


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## yytsunamiyy (Nov 13, 2008)

Congrats dom


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## absquatulation (Nov 13, 2008)

Congratulations...


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## DonkeyOte (Nov 13, 2008)

ditto


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## klb (Nov 13, 2008)

Congrats Dom!


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## justme (Nov 13, 2008)

Woo Hoo!


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## Domski (Nov 13, 2008)

Cheers guys. The downside is I'll definitely have to cut down on my time spent on here during 'work hours' but, as my boss said to me, it's time for me to raise my game which I think refers to a whole lot of things.

I definitely wouldn't be where I am without this place and thoroughly appreciate all that I've gained since I've been a member of such a fantastic source of learning and information.

I only hope that in some way I can contribute towards someone else achieving something similar in whatever way I can.

Mark et al....times are hard these days but it's the skills you can learn here that make you invaluable to a company. If that isn't recognised and it passes them by then alas it maybe you that suffers in the short term but sooner or later you will thoroughly land on your feet and they'll be running when you do.

Best of luck fella(s) and keep us posted how you get on.

Dom


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## MarkAndrews (Nov 19, 2008)

Domski said:


> Cheers guys. The downside is I'll definitely have to cut down on my time spent on here during 'work hours' but, as my boss said to me, it's time for me to raise my game which I think refers to a whole lot of things.
> 
> I definitely wouldn't be where I am without this place and thoroughly appreciate all that I've gained since I've been a member of such a fantastic source of learning and information.
> 
> ...


 
Cheers Dom & Congrats

Dont be a stranger! 

I have been offered another job, but i need to weight up the pro's & cons before accepting


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## justme (Nov 19, 2008)

I'm glad you have something available.  Knowing you have a choice at least gives you some control over your destiny.  Good luck.


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## MarkAndrews (Nov 27, 2008)

I turned the job i went for down when i got offered it, something just didn't feel right

Then i arrive in the office this morning & they tell me that i might be here until March 09


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## Domski (Nov 27, 2008)

Oh well fella, nice to at least have a steady income for the next few months.

Laters,

Dom


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## MarkAndrews (Nov 27, 2008)

Domski said:


> Oh well fella, nice to at least have a steady income for the next few months.
> 
> Laters,
> 
> Dom


 
Not set in stone yet mate, but hopefully it will be after next week


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