Mrs Kiwi

We are moving to Oz in January and my work here in the UK have just announced they are making half of us redundant. The pay off package is quite good and would set me up with a lump sum for Oz.

However, they are not accepting voluntary redundancies - I asked the managing director why not and he said when companies offer voluntary redundancies all the experienced people leave.

So they are basing the redundancies on your work history with regards to sickness, disiplinaries and performance. Based on this I have no chance of being made redundant and I want it so badly whereas a lot of my colleagues are desperate not to be made redundant.

I can't tell my bosses that I am leaving anyway in Jan as there would be no reason for them to offer me redundancy then.

Anyone got any tips on how I could get this redundancy? I'm tempted to start ringing in sick every day but I think it might be too late.
How guilty am I going to feel handing my notice in after Christmas when half my colleagues were forced out via redundancy shortly before this?

Thanks.

JPSUPERHOOPER

take a long sickie!

Cheetah7

Offer yourself as the sacraficial lamb, tell them that you feel obliged to 'step down' and let new/fresh talent develop and progress within the company.

Say that you will be on hand to offer advice in a voluntary capacity and be on the end of the phone from home but there are some perhaps younger people within the company who you feel have excellent potential and it could be seriously detrimental to the company to lose them.

Fly Away

Start under performing in your job - making mistakes, not answering queries, being vague, mention having 'women's problems', start crying in the loos.... employers really hate that.

hagueok

tell them your thinking of taking your life in a different direction and would appreciate being made redundant and your not sure how reliable you would be.

markandgill

First of all dont start doing things that will leave you open to actually getting sacked instead of being made redundant!

I was just made redundant at the end of August, the company I worked for was making quite a few people redundant and they were just looking for excuses to sack people instead of having to pay them off, there was a few people they shafted, for example a couple of mechanics made a couple of mistakes and were late once or twice and they put them through the whole warning procedures, and they sacked them instead of giving them their redundancies!

It isnt really fare the way they do it, where I worked was the same - there were loads of people who would have taken volentary, but people who needed the jobs got paid off, I was devistated as even though I would be leaving sometime, we cant sell the house so I needed my job, and I think they got rid of me because they did know about our Oz plans

MartinLuther

This is what I did.

I heard that they were going to make people redundant (but not voluntary). I went to my boss and said "I hear that there's another round of redundancy?". "Yes", she says.
"Did I mention that I've applied for an Australian visa and was hoping to leave in about 12 months time?"
"No", she says.
"Well, I happy to work until I leave and will continue to put in full effort, but I wouldn't be upset if I was made redundant".
"Ah", she says, "I'll have a word with someone".

I got a call from her boss. Said the same thing especially the part about putting in full effort until I leave. He was just checking that I wasn't acting in a fit of pique (or possibly he was trying to catch me out).

Next month later I got 15 months worth of pay which included 3 months of immediate gardening leave

Mrs Kiwi

Love the advice guys, thanks.
The problem is, Martin Luther, that if I tell them I'm leaving to go to Oz then surely they have even less reason to make me redundant as I'l be leaving anyway so they have no need to pay me off?
Professional Princess, I love the sacrifical lamb wording used and am going to memorise it and say it when I have my meeting.
I wary of ringing in sick as like you guys say, they may sack me rather than make me redundant!