Redundancy & my experience
This seems to be an issue which is affecting more and more of us, a week doesn't go by without hearing how bad the economy is and how bad the job situation is. Hundreds upon thousands upon millions have found themselves facing the doom that is unemployment, and I include myself in that figure too.
It was July 2011 when I finally started what I thought was a great job. I was finally settled in a career, moving up the ladder and starting at a company I really felt that I could settle down at. I had moved from what was a relatively low paid job, to something that was pretty good. The company I started at seemed good, everyone was friendly and I just knew I would settle down well. I was moving from Office Administrator to Accounts and it was a step I was more than ready for.
When I first started my job was varied, I worked across several departments, doing administration for Accounts and Sales, as well as helping with the meeting and greeting of some of the most important clients. I settled down quickly and I was getting on well. I had only been in the company for 4 months when I was asked if I would also take on the role of Marketing Administrator and relieve some of my meet and greet role and leave it to my colleague. I was happy to help out with marketing and had a huge responsibility of overseeing two trade shows as well as overseeing the development and then entire production of the new company website. I was also involved heavily in the design of our new artwork for the company collateral including our new logo. It was throughout this time that I as also overseeing the project of the development of the new company video. All in all my new role as Marketing assistant was going from strength to strength and I did really enjoy it, even as a temporary role, and was incredibly proud of what I achieved in a short time. When I handed over the reigns to the new Director I was happy with everything I had done (as was she!).
When the marketing part of my role finished the accounts side really kicked off even more and I find myself doing more than ever. It was around November/December that I met with the CFO and it was decided that I would at some point move over to accounts full time. I was happy with this as accounts was where I wanted to be, and we discussed the company helping me achieve my AAT and that it would be discussed further when my move was complete in the future.
After the Christmas break (and I had a further two weeks off for a pre-arranged holiday) I return to find out I would be working in finance full time. My workload changed and any Marketing and Sales work I had been doing was reallocated and I worked soley on accounts...but I was still located at a desk in the Sales office. For weeks I was told I would be officially moved to finance full time (despite all my work being solely accounts at this stage) and as we were waiting for a new CFO to start it was assumed we would wait until he started before I moved desks.
He started at the beginning of March, and never spoke to me...not once. He didn't introduce himself at all, yet sat down with all my colleagues. I wasn't concerned because he was trying to get an idea of the entire process the company went through, from sales leads right the way through to billing. I worked doing the Purchase Ledger, so at the very end of the line, so I just assumed my time would come.
In the middle of May 2012, on a bright spring like Monday morning, my boss (the out-going CFO) called me into his office and explained that the company hadn't performed how they thought it would and that they would have to make redundancies. And I could potentially be one of them. Due to the nature of the business I worked in I was immediately put on Garden Leave, and apart from one meeting in late March I spent around 4 weeks just waiting. The outcome was redundancy. The company were great at the time, they paid me 2 months pay, plus my holiday as well as an additional payment.
I was upset, of course I was, my wonderful job was gone and there was nothing I could do to save it, the decision had been made and I unfortunately just had to roll with it. I didn't hold my company responsible, it was just something they had to do, and I was one of a number of people who had to leave. At this point the only thing that left a bitter taste was that I at one point had several roles, and one by one they got taken away until I was left with accounts...and then they made me redundant from that job. I felt that was a little unfair, but what can you do?
It was a few months later when an old friend who still worked for the company called me up and said the Marketing Director had been enquiring about whether I had found permanent work yet. I hadn't so after a little deliberation I emailed her on Linked In and just explained that I had spoken to my friend and that I wasn't in permanent work and was there a job going? I got an almost immediate reply, there was a job going, and she urged me to apply for it. So I went to the careers section of the website, as advised, and what I saw shocked me. That was my job, they were advertising my job, little more than 2 months since I had been made redundant from it. Still annoyed I updated my CV, wrote a brilliant cover letter and sent it off. The reply came the next day, from my old boss, the old CFO who was still remaining at the company and was in charge of all HR procedures. He stated that it was not company policy to re-employ, so thanks but no thanks. I was annoyed, not only because firstly it was my job that was up for grabs, but also because I knew this policy was a load of twaddle. There were several people at the company who had been there years ago, left and then been re-employed. With nothing to really lose I emailed back, politely explaining these points. What came out of all of this was crystal clear; it wasn't that they did not re-employ, they just didn't wasn't to re-employ me. Or more like the new CFO didn't.
It was disheartening, really disheartening when I had worked really hard for the company, I had always gone above and beyond and worked my socks off. I could understand it when I was first made redundant because it was a finance thing; the company hadn't performed and job cuts had to be made. But if my job was so expendable, why 7 weeks later was my job being advertised? By this point the whole thing left a bitter taste.
Nearly a year one now, and life is very different, and gladly so. I am working again and have been for six months, I have great colleagues and every day is different. I have applied to start my Masters degree in History with the aim of doing my PhD after.
I used to be upset at how I felt I was treated over the job, but now I realise, it was the best thing that could have happened to me for so many reasons.
It was July 2011 when I finally started what I thought was a great job. I was finally settled in a career, moving up the ladder and starting at a company I really felt that I could settle down at. I had moved from what was a relatively low paid job, to something that was pretty good. The company I started at seemed good, everyone was friendly and I just knew I would settle down well. I was moving from Office Administrator to Accounts and it was a step I was more than ready for.
When I first started my job was varied, I worked across several departments, doing administration for Accounts and Sales, as well as helping with the meeting and greeting of some of the most important clients. I settled down quickly and I was getting on well. I had only been in the company for 4 months when I was asked if I would also take on the role of Marketing Administrator and relieve some of my meet and greet role and leave it to my colleague. I was happy to help out with marketing and had a huge responsibility of overseeing two trade shows as well as overseeing the development and then entire production of the new company website. I was also involved heavily in the design of our new artwork for the company collateral including our new logo. It was throughout this time that I as also overseeing the project of the development of the new company video. All in all my new role as Marketing assistant was going from strength to strength and I did really enjoy it, even as a temporary role, and was incredibly proud of what I achieved in a short time. When I handed over the reigns to the new Director I was happy with everything I had done (as was she!).
When the marketing part of my role finished the accounts side really kicked off even more and I find myself doing more than ever. It was around November/December that I met with the CFO and it was decided that I would at some point move over to accounts full time. I was happy with this as accounts was where I wanted to be, and we discussed the company helping me achieve my AAT and that it would be discussed further when my move was complete in the future.
After the Christmas break (and I had a further two weeks off for a pre-arranged holiday) I return to find out I would be working in finance full time. My workload changed and any Marketing and Sales work I had been doing was reallocated and I worked soley on accounts...but I was still located at a desk in the Sales office. For weeks I was told I would be officially moved to finance full time (despite all my work being solely accounts at this stage) and as we were waiting for a new CFO to start it was assumed we would wait until he started before I moved desks.
He started at the beginning of March, and never spoke to me...not once. He didn't introduce himself at all, yet sat down with all my colleagues. I wasn't concerned because he was trying to get an idea of the entire process the company went through, from sales leads right the way through to billing. I worked doing the Purchase Ledger, so at the very end of the line, so I just assumed my time would come.
In the middle of May 2012, on a bright spring like Monday morning, my boss (the out-going CFO) called me into his office and explained that the company hadn't performed how they thought it would and that they would have to make redundancies. And I could potentially be one of them. Due to the nature of the business I worked in I was immediately put on Garden Leave, and apart from one meeting in late March I spent around 4 weeks just waiting. The outcome was redundancy. The company were great at the time, they paid me 2 months pay, plus my holiday as well as an additional payment.
I was upset, of course I was, my wonderful job was gone and there was nothing I could do to save it, the decision had been made and I unfortunately just had to roll with it. I didn't hold my company responsible, it was just something they had to do, and I was one of a number of people who had to leave. At this point the only thing that left a bitter taste was that I at one point had several roles, and one by one they got taken away until I was left with accounts...and then they made me redundant from that job. I felt that was a little unfair, but what can you do?
It was a few months later when an old friend who still worked for the company called me up and said the Marketing Director had been enquiring about whether I had found permanent work yet. I hadn't so after a little deliberation I emailed her on Linked In and just explained that I had spoken to my friend and that I wasn't in permanent work and was there a job going? I got an almost immediate reply, there was a job going, and she urged me to apply for it. So I went to the careers section of the website, as advised, and what I saw shocked me. That was my job, they were advertising my job, little more than 2 months since I had been made redundant from it. Still annoyed I updated my CV, wrote a brilliant cover letter and sent it off. The reply came the next day, from my old boss, the old CFO who was still remaining at the company and was in charge of all HR procedures. He stated that it was not company policy to re-employ, so thanks but no thanks. I was annoyed, not only because firstly it was my job that was up for grabs, but also because I knew this policy was a load of twaddle. There were several people at the company who had been there years ago, left and then been re-employed. With nothing to really lose I emailed back, politely explaining these points. What came out of all of this was crystal clear; it wasn't that they did not re-employ, they just didn't wasn't to re-employ me. Or more like the new CFO didn't.
It was disheartening, really disheartening when I had worked really hard for the company, I had always gone above and beyond and worked my socks off. I could understand it when I was first made redundant because it was a finance thing; the company hadn't performed and job cuts had to be made. But if my job was so expendable, why 7 weeks later was my job being advertised? By this point the whole thing left a bitter taste.
Nearly a year one now, and life is very different, and gladly so. I am working again and have been for six months, I have great colleagues and every day is different. I have applied to start my Masters degree in History with the aim of doing my PhD after.
I used to be upset at how I felt I was treated over the job, but now I realise, it was the best thing that could have happened to me for so many reasons.
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