I survived redundancy... twice!
The first time I was made redundant came as a total shock.
I arrived home after a lovely fortnight’s holiday and as I put the key in the front door, I got a call from a work colleague. He told me that my boss had been escorted out of the office the day before, which made me, in effect, jobless. I had heard some talk of redundancies but I hadn’t imagined it would happen like this – I certainly hadn’t thought it would happen to me!
When I returned to work, HR explained that I could apply for another position – competing against a person who had been doing her job, quite satisfactorily, for the past 4 years. Needless to say, I declined.
I took my redundancy cheque and headed for the hills … well, my house to be exact. Thanks to my redundancy pay, I had a leisurely 6 months off, contemplating what I’d like to do with my future. I enjoyed a bit of DIY, gardening, lazy mornings and some well deserved TV time. It struck me that I had never had an opportunity like this in my entire working life. Paid time off!
The beauty of temping
Obviously, after a while the novelty does tend to wear off. I started to crave some much needed human interaction and brain stimulation! So I dusted off my CV and registered myself with every single temping agency I could find. Soon enough I was being booked for work – a different assignment every week. Some people don’t like temping, but I liked meeting new people and it gave me an interesting insight into how other companies operated. On a few occasions I was offered a permanent position, but I enjoyed moving around. The beauty of temping is that you can do as many days/hours as you want and it’s ‘stress free’. You aren’t around long enough to take on responsibility and at the end of the week you’re on to something new. I really enjoyed the freedom.
Eventually, I got some work at a well known television company. Boy, was I excited! If I was still in my old job I would never have had this opportunity. As it happened, those two weeks turned into six wonderful years as a permanent member of staff… until the dreaded redundancy came round again. This time I actually volunteered myself for the ‘chop’. I’d done it once already so I knew there was nothing to be scared of.
It’s not about you
It never occurred to me that the reason my job was being cut was because I was rubbish at it. I knew it was simply because the company had to save money. I think we forget that in a large business it’s not about the person – it’s all about the numbers. It’s not a slight on your capabilities. In fact, it gives you a chance to step back and consider what you’ve achieved in your life so far. Be positive; focus on what you’re good at and what you’ve got to offer. Take it as an opportunity.
So, here I am, 9 months after redundancy number 2. I’m still alive; I have all my faculties and hardly any grey hair! When I was made redundant, there was financial help available to retrain, so I learned the arts of bookkeeping, design and website building. My husband and I set up our own business, which is expanding and doing really well. I take my dog to work with me every day and I could not be happier.
From my experience, if I hadn’t been made redundant twice I would not be where I am today. I would never have had the courage to change my life for the better.
Have you been made redundant? You might find it a painful experience, or you might be enjoying your new freedom. However redundancy is affecting you, this advice from Chris Tapp could really help. Also, check out our Job Hunting Tips.
Written by Emma Samuel.
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