Here’s Your Redundancy 5 Point Checklist…

Redundancy Can Affect Anyone, At Any Age And At Any Stage Of Your Career.

But far from being all gloom and doom and an end, for many people it’s the start of a whole new phase in their career. So, what do you do next and how do you stop yourself hitting that ‘panic’ button?

Each person has a different way of coping with change and this is what we’re talking here, finding the best strategies for coping with major change and creating the life and the outcomes you want.

If you’re faced with redundancy or the possibility of it here are a couple of things you can do to make things easier for yourself, with our Redundancy 5 Point Checklist;

1) Clarify Your Position – Whether you are being made redundant or have been put under notice of redundancy it’s important to check the terms of what’s being offered. This is to prevent any problems or misunderstandings later on. It’s also part of what we would discuss with you during a coaching session, to ensure that you retain control over the events around you even if this seems contrary to what you believe is happening. Reality is perception after all. See the ‘blogroll’ links for more information on our career workshops that support people going through major change. So what does this mean in practice?

• Check Entitlements: check what you’re being offered in terms of a payout, including but not limited to;
  • Salary (are you paid in advance, in arrears or bit of both?) This could affect the calculation of your final salary pay. It’s important to get clarification on this so that you don’t get any (nasty) shocks in your final payout.
  • Benefits: what will happen to any benefits i.e. private med, insurances, dental cover? Will you get any cash for these or will they agree to keep these going for a number of months.
  • Notice Period: Will you have to work your notice or will you receive PILON (Pay In Lieu Of Notice)?
  • Car Allowance: If you’re entitled to a company car will you have the choice of buying the car? You may wish to negotiate keeping the car for a few months after you leave and check what will happen to your car allowance during your notice period or PILON make sure you receive the cash for any car benefit.
• What Help Are They Offering? – If your company is offering free support i.e. career, interview, job search or out placement support then you should take up their offer. You may feel angry and hurt by the way you feel you’ve been treated but now’s the time to think smart and get all the free support you can. You might not need it but you never know what contacts you will make and what new ideas it may give you.
• Don’t Be Bullied: in uncertain times some companies can forget how to behave or even good companies can put pressure on people to make a choice as to whether to take redundancy or not. The tactics often used are:
  • Time Pressures – you only have xx days to make a decision before an ‘enhanced’ offer is withdrawn. Try to negotiate more time if you need it, because you must get legal advice and you will probably want to discuss things through with your family. Don’t try and string things out too long though as this could be counterproductive.
  • Alternative Role: this could be a viable option but check the details very carefully. Is it the same grade, same pay structure, same equivalent type of work? Will you be given any additional training? Will there be a probabtion period for this new role and how long would this be? If you took the new role and decided it wasn’t for you what options would you have?
  • This is the only amount that’s on offer: sometimes this is true but there’s no harm in reviewing the figures and negotiating more, either via yourself or through your Legal Advisor.

2) Get Legal Advice – we will always recommend getting legal advice in a redundancy situation, even if it’s just to check you’re getting the right amount of entitlement or to help you negotiate more! A Legal Advisor will check, amongst other things, that;

• The amount you are being offered complies with the law
• Advise you on any tax implications of any proposed payout
• Help you by being the main point of contact for any negotiations
• Some companies will also offer you an amount towards any legal fees and if they’re not up front about it then ask for this as well!

3) Plan Your Next Steps – some people feel as though their redundnacy has come at just the right time for them. Maybe their job wasn’t quite right for them, or they’d done as much as they could. Others, will feel (understandably) that their world is about to cave in. However you’re feeling emotionally and whatever you do next, make a PLAN. And, when say plan, we mean plan! Write it down, long hand, short hand, typed, whatever you do make one! Research by various universities and authors has shown that just the act of writing down what you plan to do means it has a much greater chance of happening. Even if you just write it out and put it away in a drawer! We would rather recommend creating a plan and then scheduling your priorities and actions over a realistic time frame. In the meantime here’s a suggested list of the key areas to focus on:

• Decide what you want… sounds really basic doesn’t it? Most people do not do this. Most of us are not clear about what we really want and then wonder why we’ve ended up in a job, money or life situation we don’t want. Again career coaching can help you to clarify your goals and the easiest way to be clear about what you want to achieve is to have clarity over your end goals. Do you actually want another similar job? Do you want to do something different? Is now the right time to finish that book, start a business, retire? Once you have clarity over your end goals you are 90% of the way there.
• Financial planning and budgeting – budget for all your essentials AND make a budget for treats and nights outs. You may go out less than before but it’s important to keep a balance. For example, if you strip out everything but the essentials all you will focus on is that you ‘lack’ something i.e. money and that’s precisely what the universe will give you. Create the right mindset to support you budget and enlist the help of your family and close friends to support you.

• Contact Your Network – if you’re looking for work or just considering what to do next, your network maybe able to help. It might be actual work, it could be great advice or even support for when you need it. People often say at this point that they ‘don’t know that many people’. Your network maybe broader than you think; Facebook friends and colleagues, Linkedin, former colleagues, people within your social circle, family, sports clubs, the gym, schools and Universities and so on. Before you cantact them be clear about what it is you want? Are you just saying hello or are you looking for something more specific? In our experience most people are more than happy to help!
• Be clear about what you in terms of your next role or job; is it more money, the same? Are you prepared to move, are you clear about your strengths and what you can take to market? If your company is offering help with CVs then make the most of this. Having a good idea of what you want and where you’re heading will help you to focus on your job search in a positive way. To look for 1000s of jobs in just one place follow this link to our  ‘Jobs Page’.

4)  Overcoming Obstacles – we are only human after all and at times something, someone or even yourself is going to trample on your end goals and your plans. So, what do you do? It’s easy to succumb to negative thinking because we seem to find it easy to focus on the negative. So here are  a couple of tips taken from our workshops that will help keep you on track:

• Keep your end goals to hand either in the form of a written list or a mood board. A mood board is a collection of pictures, words, anything in fact that describes where you would like to be when your goal(s) have been attained. When things get a bit wobbly, re-read your list, look at the board, remember where you’re heading. This is a very powerful technique to re-train your mind into thinking about what it wants as opposed to what you don’t want. Do this every day for 5 mins.
• Share your goals with trusted family and friends, they will give you the boost you need.
• Make a list of the things that give you a boost and do one of those.
• If things are going repeatedy array, simply review your plans in that area, with a view to making some adjustments (in the light of new information). Make any revisions with your end goal in mind.

So what about the new start to a new career? If that’s what you want, then you can achieve it. Still not convinced?  The key is to be clear about what you want, take action, and stay motivated. If you haven’t read it already we (plus countless others) recommend reading –  ‘The Seven Habits Of Highly Successful People’ by Steve R. Covey. The clue is in the title, make taking action a habit.

So that’s it your 5 point action plan! Some people will look at it and think great let’s get started. Most people will look at it and it may seem like a lot to do, plus where do they start and what about this and what about that….and yes it is a lot to do if you try and do it all at once. If you’d like some further guidance on getting started sign up for a Free Coaching Session. This will give you an introduction into how coaching can support you through a major life change, whether you’re ready to get started or not sure where to begin. See the links to the left for our contact details to book or give us a call. Either way, we’d love to hear from you!

In the meantime, whilst you’re thinking about what to do next sign up as a subscriber for your own ‘Weekly Email Coaching Sessions’…it’s totally free and you’ll get regular hints and tips on changing your career, starting a business or just coping with change. Sign up using the form below or contact us for more information!