This is entirely unrelated to anything ‘bedroom funzies’, but I’m not part of any other forums and this feels like a friendly place to talk…
My workplace recently dropped some staff reshuffle plans including redundancies that have shredded a good team apart and the team morale has gone straight into the toilet. We’re all terribly upset about it and it’s a very busy time for work with some massive campaigns running and on the wings (never a good time to drop that kind of bombshell but this is one of those, you know, really? Right now??)
While my job is technically safe for now, my manager (after 16 years, devastating) is on the chopping block, and there are proposed plans for a new manager to take his place - for a pay cut. It’s not been offered to me, but my manager confessed that it was ringfenced for me as a promotion/support role to him in plans he was previously privy to. The job description is literally written for me, it’s my job with a few managerial KPI tasks thrown in. If I don’t apply for it, I’ll be training a newbie in a job that out-ranks me and chances are the next swathes of the ‘reshuffle’ sees the newbie sitting pretty after taking my job and my head’s on the block. It doesn’t particularly feel like a promotion!
I’ve hunted round for other jobs but it just feels terribly depressing to think about leaving. I’ve enjoyed working where I am, it’s been a wonderful team and the flexibility of the role is amazing.
(Although I’ve actually spotted a hybrid position at Lovehoney that my skillset would match, but I’d need to be fully remote (don’t live near Bath at all!) and it’s a maternity cover role so would only be for one year and I’d be hunting again if they(/you? :)) didn’t want me to stay.)
I don’t know, I guess I needed to vent a bit. If anyone has any thoughts, please do share, I’m quite shellshocked and distressed at the moment and appreciate the chat x
I’m afraid I don’t really have any advice for you but here to listen
Could it be worth taking the ‘promotion’ while still actively looking for something else? If it comes with a pay rise, pretend it doesn’t and whack the difference into a savings account to earn interest and have a little bit behind you if the worst does happen?
So they’re getting rid of a manager, but filling the role with someone on less money and that person could be you or someone you train. Do you want the extra responsibility for a role they originally paid more? Are you safer from redundancy staying in your current role if your manager wasn’t safe? You didn’t mention if they were offered to stay in their job on the reduced wage and they refused it, or just let go? I have been offered promotion a few times in my current job, but i am at an age where i don’t need the extra responsibilty.
In my previous job there were redundancies during the big banking crash of 2008, the list of people at risk was based on skills, flexibility, punctuality and absence. But it soon became obvious that management put certain people on the at risk list who definitely didn’t deserve to be on it, due to favouritism and the union had to step in.
All i can say is, maybe stay as you are whilst looking for a new job, in case the new role is a poisoned chalice, but only you really know the managerial machinations to base your decision on. Good luck.
Sorry to hear what you are going through, redundancies are a terrible time for anyone.
My advice at this point in time is to stick it out and take the role if offered, you will then be a decision maker on the future direction of the organisation and can potentially protect others.
This is a difficult one as there are 2 options to consider.
1 is take the promotion have the benefit of the increased wage but fear for redundancy.
2. Stay as you are hopefully with a little more security.
However no where is permanent these days. I would start doing some courses/training in your own time to prepare for another job/position and make sure your CV is right up to date and ready for the job market.
Best thing to do is write a possitive and negatives in applying for the new role.
If the negatives out weight the positive then dont apply.
Another way is apply for.it, as it seems ringfenced while looking for a job change and if something comes up leave… sounds like.you ate all numbers not people.
Another way is simple … a pair of acales …
Once the pile of.poop is more than the pile.of gold its time to go… remember happiness at work is allowed too
I am not sure if what you are saying would stand scrutiny at an industrial tribunal.
I am no expert in HR law, but I am not sure you can make someone redundant and then replace them with someone else doing the exact same role. It is usually the role which is redundant and as a consequence of the role no longer being need the person in the role is also placed at risk of redundancy unless they can be redeployed elsewhere.
If your work place has a union, I would suspect that they would interested in this.
It is sad yet I’ve known many who’ve been put through the same shredder in the last few years since the lockdowns and weirdly it’s kinda made them realise that it was time to just go for their dream jobs cause they’ve been left feeling not valued as much in normal work places…
I’m sorry to hear your going through this. As the wife of a man who was in a position in a company for 11 years, only to have them relocate the office and his job with it, I can only imagine the stress you must be under.
I do understand how stressful it can be to leave a team, but think of it this way, you could always be part of a new and amazing team elsewhere. You could bring your skills, your insights, your personality and your dedication and be an attribute to a new team. My husband has been headhunted because of his experience in his former role. Even if you don’t go for this other position, the amount of experience you have in your current position will make you a great candidate for employers looking for someone like you. Get your name with recruitment agencies and sign up on LinkedIn, if you aren’t already. Something will come along.
Lastly, a little tidbit I read the other day: stick to your skillset. The market is quite tough at the moment, but mass applications are seeing mass rejections. Instead, apply for jobs similar to what you already do. You may have to take a dip, I’ve had to negotiate my husband down from £30k to be willing to settle for £25-27k if it means he gets a job, but it may be worth it in the long run. Good luck, and I hope you find something soon
A great suggestion re the pay rise, it’s slight (around £2-3k per annum) considering it’s a management role, still a rise for me but an insult to my current manager, for him it’s probably a £20k cut, so he would be a mug to take it unless money were no real object…
Though I’m not even being offered the manager role - I’ve been told I have to apply for it, and it’ll be a competitive application process where staff won’t have first pick.
I don’t think anyone is truly ‘safe’ honestly but the other managers keep telling me I am, yet when I look at the new manager job description it’s literally my job. So if I teach a new person my job, what is my job…? #redundant?
My manager has been there so long now and has so many responsibilities, he can’t be cheap, so it was obviously a money situation. He wasn’t offered an alternative, we were literally sent papers to our emails with a new structure with names and roles that stated ‘redundant’. I definitely suspect foul play with his role specifically as the CEO always seemed a bit threatened by him, he’s more extroverted and intellectual whereas the CEO is very sicophantic and political with his words, ie man can never answer an actual question.
Thank you for this advice, I’m thinking to stay put whilst I hunt around. The job is still flexible and pays well enough, I don’t feel I should have to apply for a role that was written for me alongside a bunch of strangers, it just feels insulting when I know it was a promotion turned ‘bait-and-switch’ whenever the new person takes the role…
Thank you, I appreciate that I don’t think there was any protection for others this time, it was so sudden and the decision makers just collectively made a decision based on the financial state of the organisation and whatever the CEO has decided, and it seems he has decided to cut the snake’s head and tail without knowing what they did for the body.
Sorry to hear this as reductions in work forces are never easy. I’m on year 28 with current company and I’m in an entry level management position and have been through 3 or 4 of these reductions myself. My entire team has always been spared thank God as we (at least I think) are in a mission critical role for the time being. Unfortunately being a publicly traded company, results are constantly expected for the stock holders. Seems to be across all companies that more is expected today with same or even less head count. Hang in there and do what you have to do for yourself and family is all I can say. I’ve seen really good people leave our organization both on their terms and not.
You’re so right re. the job security thing, it’s just a shame to know it’s true that job loyalty doesn’t seem to pay anymore.
I’ve already brushed up my CV and am trying to work out what I actually want to do with my life. One of those ‘stop and think’ moments, but I’ve always been in IT/digital marketing type jobs whether I liked them or not, I’m just good at them. Don’t really have the cash spare to go on a journey and ‘find myself’ really!
That’s so true, the people at the workplace have developed such a strong brother/sisterhood and we’re all on a similar page with it. Some have been given additional tasks to their roles with the same pay, others have randomly found themselves managing people when they didn’t manage anyone before (again, for no additional pay).
For me, the new role feels like it was meant to be a promotion but has been put forward as a weird threat, that I’d have to apply without favouritism alongside new applicants. It’s almost offensive honestly.
We don’t have a union, no, in fact our HR is outsourced and we suspect has interests in aiding the CEO as a consultant over aiding the staff team… The roles have been carefully worded so they look different but we as the workers look at the documents and understand them to be the same tasks.
Definitely feeling that way, it’s been such a wonderful place to work and has brought together some brilliant people with huge potential to change the organisation completely for the better so it’s just a huge shame some power-hungry politician type waltzes in and decides to perform a cull after bringing in a fresh set of staff only 3 years ago.
Unfortunately I don’t have time or money to go on a journey of self discovery… I live in a maisonette but would love to run a pet boarding facility. Doesn’t necessarily pay well but would be my ideal plan once the mortgage is paid (in 15yrs! )
Oh bless you, thank you so much for this, it definitely is the direction that seems to resonate with me the most, however sad it may be to leave my current team. We’ve really made a family at this workplace only to have it tugged from beneath us in am instant.
I’m the breadwinner at home at the moment, my husband is a gardener and does very well but it’s a general salary that wouldn’t quite cover the bills, whereas I’m currently in digital marketing so around £36k. I’d take a pay cut if I had to, but naturally wouldn’t want to if I could help it. I also have some health conditions which make me picky about location and flexible working…
Wonderful idea about just getting the CV out there with recruiters or on websites for similar roles though. As much as I feel a career side-step would be nice, I am familiar with my current skillset and letting people come to me with offers I can negotiate would be so much easier than the depressing hunt through 20+ tabs in my browser!
I don’t blame you at all, I know what life with a health condition is like. I’m a blogger myself, largely because I always wanted to give something back for the benefits that I receive from the state. I wish I could say it’s made me rich and famous, it’s done neither, but the recognition and gratitude I get when I help others is still nice
Wow 20 years is a long time to commit to a workplace, I think our team is jittery immediately from losing the manager that we definitely feel is imperative to the company (we think is head on the chopping block was personal, though you can never prove these things).
I don’t think there was any protection for others this time, it was so sudden and the decision makers just collectively made a decision based on the financial state of the organisation and whatever the CEO has decided, and it seems he has decided to cut the snake’s head and tail without knowing what they did for the body.
)