Someone else who may be made redundant

Not good, not good at all. We hope you keep your job.

Oh the joys of being self employed, no one to sack us.

Redundancy is one of those things that only happens to other people....!

Yeah right!

I was made redundant in June last year with NO warning. Slap in the face or what!?

Be positive, and look at it as the START of the rest of your life.

Unless you're really unlucky, you'll find you don't need 'it'...
You can live without 'it'...
...and life is actually a whole lot better!

It's YOUR life. Decide how you WANT to spend it, and how you can MAKE it better.

At least you've been given a little notice. I took it badly, but I now see it as a positive point in my life. Maybe even the kick up the @rs* that I needed.

Rambling waffle over...

Hope you're OK.

I was laid off for 3 weeks over Christmas, just back having been laid off for another two days. Its a fine line between that and redundancy.

Oh well, I can borrow a tent.

Blue. I hope you keep your job. I feel so sorry for anybody losing their job or living under the threat of it. Don't know what else to say. Hope it all works out well.

I was made redundant in December - gutted - no, been in my trade 38 years (advertising) took a month off learned a bit more about growing things - took stock of what I really NEEDED money wise, now I am a gardener, no 50k salary just a wonderful life meeting wonderful people, with time to chat to the old folks ... life can be a lot better than you think. Good luck.

Blue I hope it doesnt happen, but if the unfortunate event does occur, you can see from above that it neednt be terminal.
I am in a similar position to PW, the guarantee of work is never there,and have been unemployed several times over the past couple of years for periods ranging from a week to 7 weeks, so it is indeed a fine line as he says.
Best of luck to you.

Hi folks

I've been so lucky, always been in work since Uni tho I have been 'given' medical retirement twice, first time wholly amicable, second time, definately not. And I've still got the medical condition that caused me to leave work, sometimes that's a bummer but have to work through it.

So, as said above, time to re-evaluate? Time to think, do I REALLY need all the crap that goes with working?

J and I are both living our dream down here, she was allowed to 'leave work early on medical grounds' - she was 60 anyway, so we had decided that if that happened we were off!!! Our lives, not our kids, not our grandchildren, our lives.

We set up a small research business when I got demobbed the second time which we still have and it potters along, which suits us fine, when I decide to take on clients we earn excellent money from it, using my expertise.

And we garden, we trade stuff (expertise against other people's expertise, what can we offer that we can trade with others), garden produce, that sort of thing.

It can be a really shock/blow when you loose one of the main planks of your life.

If you can tho, try to think what makes you unique and what do you do that other people may want - may surprise yourself and make the rest of your life really really enjoyable.

Im only 36 so semi retiring isnt an option really - although i really wish it was! and i actually enjoy my job.
But im not a proud person and i will do what i have to do to pay my bills, and when you read the stories about the poor guy who was stapped to death in front of his 3 year old daughter and his poor wife just given birth.....sort of puts things into perspective a bit

Hope it all works out ok for you blue.

I really like your signature

'Life isnt about surviving the storm.....But learning to dance in the rain'

I think everyone should learn that dance!

good luck, at least you got some notice, start looking for jobs and get down to sign on, it takes ages to go through.
all the best, good luck

Good luck Blue. Hope everything works out good for you.
Bernie aka DDL

Well said, Glutton4!Jim was given a month's notice last week and this is just the positive approach we are adopting. We have our health and our (waning!) strength, a good, big garden, a field and my job. Even if my job goes belly-up the essential bills will be paid by the government and we can grow most of our own food, so we won't starve or be homeless.
Having said that, I do hope you are lucky,blue411 and keep your job, the very best of luck!

Sorry to read this blue411. I had a similar experience before Christmas when we all had to submit a log of our experience and show how we demonstrated customer focus, team working etc. so the management could decide who to keep and who to let go. During that period I decided that as I am 54 it wasn't going to be easy to find another job, so spent a lot of time looking at and updating my CV, but also formulating a plan for self-employment if made redundant.

It was an awful, stressful time,but formulating that plan gave me a reason to be positive, it may have been pie in the sky but I was actually beginning to look forward to it. However, I was fortunate and still have a job (for the moment) so sympathise with the many people who have been, are, or will be in the same position this year.

Wishing you the best of luck.

Hi
The company I worked for closed with two weeks notice last July. I did have 6 months redundancy but that is running out and while the Government dithers over giving me job seekers allowance or whatever name it's got this week, (Applied nearly a month ago) I have sleepless nights about running out of cash.
I did temp work at M & S over Christmas which I really hated, stressful, boring and very tiring. Never again will I criticise people who come home from work and "slump in front of the telly" I now know how brain dead you can get.

Apart from the money worries, I wish I could retire (4 years to go) I love not working, lots more time on the allotment, looking after the hens, time to do all those jobs that never get done. I am lucky enough to have had a job that allowed me to work at home and now attempt a freelance career, one job landed so far but a long way to go to keep solvent. Might look for a part-time job and do freelance work in my spare time. Certainly don't want to go back to the grind of full-time work and being a yes sir, no sir sort of person.

I've thrown myself into scrimping and saving big time and enjoy "cheating the system" in however small a way. Am very cross with the cats though, when asked to help economise and go on to Whiskas (55p a day) there was a general downing of tools until Sheba was reinstated, now that costs £1.85 a day - thanks Guys. And when I tried to economise on cat biscuits, eldest cat started evacuating from both ends so we're back on Hills hideously expensive cat biscuits. Sadly I can't grow their food on the allotment so they cost far more to feed than myself. The hens have been more cooperative, cheaper pellets, changed to aubiose for their run - which has halved both costs. My only niggle with them is they don't like brussel sprout tops which I get given free in abundance - no it must be Spring cabbage - the pointy ones and they cost £1.25 each at the moment - they've eaten all mine. So 2009 is going to be the year in which I grow everything perfectly, sow seed at the right time, transplant at the right time, plant out at the right time, nurture, attend to my plants and their every need and have the biggest harvest ever. and the rest but got to start somewhere...

So, you have my every sympathy, don't let it get you down and take a deep breath and hold on to your sanity if you have to tangle with the Job Centre. Prepare to search your home top to bottom for some document they can't live without and get to know your local photocopy centre...

Chin up, there will soon be enough of us to start a new group on the vine!
best wishes and hopes for the future
Sue