The chances of being made redundant have reduced since the 2008 financial crash but the fact remains thousands of people were laid off this year.
Did you know?
- 91,000 people were made redundant last year
- Employees under notice of redundancy have the right to reasonable time off to look for a new job or arrange training
- Employees can try out an alternative role for four weeks without giving up their right to redundancy pay
The experience is a setback and can be stressful when you have bills to pay but it does not have to be the end and there are plenty of ways back into employment.
You may feel lost at the time, but it’s a truth universally acknowledged by people who have experienced redundancy themselves that there is life afterwards. Here is why 2018 will be a brighter year.
You can avoid old mistakes.
Take time to evaluate the good and bad sides of your previous role: think about the kind of dynamics that you’d like to emulate in your new position and the kind you’d like to cut loose. What did you like about the way your team worked together, and how could it be improved? Have you noticed a pattern relating to the sort of work that hasn’t suited you previously? Take this as a chance to avoid any old mistakes.
Retraining opens new doors.
It's never too late to start something new. The time you’ve spent examining your interests will provide a solid basis for your retraining research – learning a whole new set of skills can be a more sensible option than you might think. Plunging headfirst into a change of career after absorbing a blow like redundancy might feel daunting, but it can be an invaluable investment, the like of which you might not have time or space for again.
New year, new start.
January (and February) is a good time for recruitment. Strong hiring periods like the first quarter of the year, when demand for talent may outweigh the supply of qualified candidates, maybe a good time to go for a job with more responsibility or higher pay than where you were previously.
Remember after redundancy that tens of thousands of other people will be dealing with the same problem, so if you push at every door, hold onto your perseverance and explore every possible opportunity, you’ll find yourself somewhere you want to be.
Our Returning to Work series looks into how real people have found work after unexpected absences for reasons such as redundancy. Hear first hand from David, below on how he found work after being made redundant and his tips for others in similar situations.
