The Mock Turtle

I know there's not really an ideal time but when would you rather find out? First thing on Monday morning? Sunday night? Midway through the week? It's a horrible thing to have to do but I don't think it's going to come as a huge surprise which is something I guess.

I thought bad news was best delivered on a Friday? I don't know why i think this? Maybe so one can get completely drunk and say fuck it.

I always thought that was employers being crafty about not giving people time to get together and discuss it properly.

For me, Monday morning, I think? Certainly not at the weekend.

Ella77 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 02, 2021 2:29 pm I always thought that was employers being crafty about not giving people time to get together and discuss it properly.

That makes sense!

yes, I think I agree with you, Ella, about a Monday morning.

I agree about not on a Friday - I’d feel it was a cop out from the employer and a way to put off all the questions that will come up once the news has sunk in.

When I was made redundant the worst bit was the rumour mill beforehand, so I’d prefer to be told as soon as possible.

If it's the start of a consultant process, then not on a Friday.

We started it on a Monday so that the decision would be given as soon as possible which was the Friday. It was awful as it had to be done over the phone rather than face to face.

I suppose I was thinking Sunday night because I would appreciate not having to get up in the morning but I can see why that's not an opinion that everyone would share.

Remember if they don't consult you and just tell you to grab your things and leave immediately (happened to my last company), you qualify for a government award (which we all just received and is quite nice.)

When I was made redundant from an accountancy practice, years ago, it was via email first thing on a Friday morning, to our home email addresses. It was a company-wide mass headcount reduction so that was the way they could ensure everyone was notified at the same time. It was in 2002 so this was before fast home internet, I didn’t even have broadband (I remember using some of my redundancy money to treat myself to a new computer and fibre broadband).

It was a shit way to do it but it did mean that a bunch of my colleagues came out to meet me for lunch and a wander round the zoo and no one went back to work.

I am more resentful of the way the notice of consultation was given, my senior partner called me early on in a holiday week, whilst I was away with friends who also happened to be colleagues, but working in different industry teams. None of their senior partners called them so I was sat on this secret all week wondering if I should tell them their jobs were at risk - would they want to know sooner rather than later? In the end I sat on the news which was a horrible experience for me but at least they all enjoyed the rest of their holiday without the black cloud on the horizon.

I have been fortunate enough to avoid personal experience of redundancy but I know I would resent being told on my own time. During working hours and with time afterwards to gather myself and my belongings would be a minimum, I think.

I've never been made redundant, but there was a spate of them at my work a few years ago, and it was announced by inviting all of us in the faculty to a meeting at about 4.00pm with little notice. It was organised like a wedding, with people in some departments asked to sit on one side of the room and others at the other.

We then got a Powerpoint presentation about finance and the implications for the various faculties across the University. By this time, the penny was beginning to drop, but nobody had much of an idea about what was going to happen, which was that the people in the half of the room that I wasn't in were asked to leave, and the rest of us were given prepared letters announcing the 90 day consultation period. Then HR left the room.

Whatever day you pick, don't do it that way .

We're a tiny company, the person being made redundant is currently the only other full-time employee aside from me and E. I get the point about being told on your own time though.

Having gone through this fairly recently, I agree that announcing it on a Friday feels like a cop out and is a sure fire way to ruin one’s weekend.

People will have questions over the coming days and they need to be able to ask them.

I sat through something like that years ago, Morgs and it was awful. Org charts were put up and we were told that if your job wasn’t up there then it was gone. One department had gone from about 10 to 2 and there were a lot of tears.

I would want to know on a Monday for sure and maybe offer to give them the rest of the day to come back with any questions. If it’s not going to be a surprise then I would get it done to avoid it hanging of their head knowing it’s coming.

When I was made redundant they announced the consultations first thing on a monday morning. Except I had a days leave that day, so I arrived on tuesday morning to everyone looking down in the dumps and was immediately frog marched into the head office and told in isolation there (having shit myself for a minute or two about why on earth I was about to be sacked first). i wouldn't generally recommend that as a strategy :crazy:

It's also nice to offer the chance to go home straight away for the rest of the day if the person wants, rather than force them to stay in the office.

It's so long ago that I faced redundancy, I can't remember the details. I do remember it was a shit time, as the Chief Scientific Officer had been caught out massaging some pharma trial data for the benefit of the shareholders and heads were rolling everywhere (including the CEO). The writing was on the wall for us all and it was only a matter of time. The official news came as a blessed relief.

I've always been given bad work news on a Friday previously, possible redundancy and wage things. I hate it. It should definitely be done in work at a time when you can discuss with other people not last thing on a Friday to ruin the whole weekend.

Toast wrote: ↑Sat Jan 02, 2021 2:57 pm We're a tiny company, the person being made redundant is currently the only other full-time employee aside from me and E. I get the point about being told on your own time though.

Are you OK with the process?

Agree with t'others; it would be horrible to get the news on a Friday and not be able to talk about it with anyone until Monday.