'Tis the season to make redundancies... if the massive job cuts of the last week or so are anything to go by. As the nightmare before Christmas becomes more of a reality by the minute for many firms, it's perhaps not surprising that 'redundancy' tops our list of search topics on Personneltoday.com
And it's the right season to swing the axe, according to one employment law expert, who controversially is claiming that making people redundant on Christmas Eve is the best time of year to deliver this unwanted news.
Max Bestley, of SAS Daniels, boldly asserts: "The best time for many people to be told they've lost their job, or for employers to make somebody redundant, is actually as close to Christmas as possible. Letting somebody go on Christmas Eve can be a massive blessing in disguise for all concerned," he says.
Harsh but true, perhaps? As the saying goes, timing is everything. You could argue there's never a good time to make staff redundant, but is Christmas really the best time to sneak out bad news?
Most employees would say it is sickening in the run up to Christmas and, as a result, you risk huge damage to your employer's reputation in negative publicity. You only have to look at blogs and forums to see the damning comments employees have made about employers who have chosen the 'season of goodwill' to give them their marching orders. So think twice.
As gift-wrapped assurances over jobs are in short supply, a priority for HR professionals, if redundancies are to be made, must be to ensure that line managers act with the clarity, honesty and sympathy that the workforce deserve when delivering bad news.
Of course, HR's own credibility will be tested - have all options been explored? Short-time working, for example? Only then can HR can hold their heads high knowing they have dealt with a difficult situation in a fair, sensitive and supportive way.
Comments (1)
Is redundancy a nightmare or a great opportunity? Possibly both!
Especially, at this time of year with all the economic doom and gloom, it can be difficult to see beyond the nightmare bit. I know I've been made redundant twice - got the tech crash / credit crunch double.
But it doesn't have to be that bad - check out my more detailed thoughts to stay upbeat at www.spineless-ebooks.co.uk. My ebook "Redundant Mind" gives lots of ideas on how to see the opportunities rather than the nightmare.
Good luck!
Posted by Alan Watt | December 3, 2008 7:24 PM
Posted on December 3, 2008 19:24