After a couple of months of bumbling around, fumbling with information leaks, ignoring pleas for more information, to help the affected people make good, informed decisions, Fedex have finally confirmed they are making us redundant. From the first meeting at the start of January we all knew the "process" would end this way. And it seems those in the know also knew this would be the case. With unofficial information coming from all directions, the writing was on the wall. Just not in the communications from the company.
Before I go any further I just want to make these points. My point of contact throughout this process has been respectful, supportive, and considerate from start to finish. Getting answers where possible, and always being available to speak to.
I would also add that the redundancy compensation package is above and beyond what statutory rights demand. And for that I am sincerely grateful. Sadly that is where the compliments end.
It has been clear throughout that decisions were made long before they were communicated. And that is where the process for me really starts to fall apart. Now I am not going to get into the intricate details, and guess who at what level knew what when, but it is blatantly obvious from some of the leaks of information, the roadmap for the company etc, that things were known long before the end of last week. In fact staff at other locations have been notified a few weeks prior, but even their demise was clear as day on the information available.
I think the bit that really bites for me is the absolute lack of consideration for peoples mental health. Hearing you "might" be made redundant, then being left hanging for months is poor. Especially when the most support you get is "here's a link to the EAP if you want to speak to someone". People didn't want comfort, they wanted answers.
When can I start applying for jobs?
When will I be leaving?
Those were the main two I kept hearing over and over. Even being made aware of someone who had panicked and found a new job, only to be told that as they were still in the consultation period, and not officially being made redundant yet, that if they left to start the new job, they would be treated as if they had resigned and receive no redundancy.
Now, call me daft, but most people on hearing they are going to lose their job, automatically start looking to secure a new job as soon as possible. The problem here of course is the time line. Having been told THREE months ago that we "might" be made redundant, and the announcement containing more than a hint of it being a certainty, some wise people, including myself dare I say, started looking for new jobs. The problem was of course that when the potential new employer said "great, you have the job, when can you start", your response was nothing more than a blank faced shoulder shrug, and a "dunno". It is not a nice situation to be in.
Having experienced it first hand a couple of times, being told with no solid available date, they could not advance the offer of employment, I can confirm its a shitty feeling. Both being at the will of a company who is making you redundant when they are good and ready. And of course to appear to be recklessly seeking work while having no idea when you can start. Added to that of course is the 12 week notice period. Again something some employers are not willing to even entertain. Now of course this 12 week period is flexible as it is the time the company is required to give employees. So if you needed to leave sooner, that could be discussed.
The problem of course is, until last week the 12 weeks had not even started! So a lot of people have waited three months to be finally given the news they have been waiting for.
Of course there are two sides to every story, and you have to at least consider the position the company are in. The whole transition of services from one depot to another, replicate over and over across the country has to be carefully planned. A logistical nightmare I imagine, and from an organisational standpoint, a massive task. The planning that has gone into the shift is mindboggling.
Then of course there is the rollout of it. Obviously the process started somewhere with someone and the first team affected by it. So of course giving notice like that has a ripple effect. The mere mention of redundancies shoots through a company like a shockwave, and regardless of "please don't tell others about this", it is inevitable.
With this in mind, I get that there was a need to say something was early as they did. The problem of course is, from that point on, there was no information for a large number of people. From back office to customer facing, there are a lot of jobs affected by this move, and a lot of people were left hanging. We are all different people, with a wide range of circumstances, so there would have been tens of dozens of different reactions. I know for sure that a lot of questions were asked, by myself and others. And while most will assume the number one question was "how much", I can assure you the majority simply wanted to know when!
Again, from the companys perspective, telling hundreds of members of staff that they will not have a job from six months time is potential productive suicide. Knowing you could face a wave of resignations, mass sickness etc. So in that regard it has been a smart move. The masses waiting for their redundancy pay-outs, and only the expected few have decided to make the most of going sick. Of course I am sure this is due to the stress and anxiety caused by the news... Or maybe not?
The biggest issue for me all along has just been the when. Not the why, that is not my problem. The how much was simply a formality, and again due to leaks, it was obvious early on how much the pay-out would be, and I am certainly not complaining about the number.
I have to say, for the main part I have been very fortunate with the "when". With a few roles I have applied for either being fine with the delayed start date, or the recruitment process being so long, a start date would not be affected by the delay in being given notice by Fedex.
I have certainly been luck in this regard, and even luckier to at this point be moving forward with two job offers presently, neither of which is impacted by the timeline.
Having looked at it from the other side, from the company perspective, and respecting as much as I can the reasoning for the delay, I now want to look at from an alternative perspective of my own. One that is talked about in this blog a lot. The perspective of the anxious mind.
Going back a few years there was another wave of redundancies, and even though it was quite swift, the process was very stressful for me at the time. Wondering what I could possibly do next with my life, rejected from employment after 20 years of service (at that time), to old to learn new things, financially insecure. It shook my world hard!
Thankfully I am in a much stronger position now, in all regards, but I can't help feel that there are some out there who are going through lows at the moment. I cannot imagine how that level of uncertainty feels over such a long duration, and can only hope that everyone else affected is strong enough to weather it. At least we have dates to work to now, and can actually start to plan.
Now that the clock is finally ticking down to zero, and we know when zero is, I feel.... Well I feel free!
That is the only way I can describe the feeling really. Soon my employment with Fedex will come to an end after almost a quarter of a century. I have worked for the company for almost the same length of time I had been alive by the time I came to work for the company. Half my life spent working for the same company, most of it with the same team too.
Speaking of the team.... Haha, biting my tongue here, that can all come later, but rest assured there will be more relief than sadness when the last day comes. Let's park that there for the time being eh.
So back to how I feel, and what comes next. Now I have dates to work with, my plan is to take some time off before starting anything new. Work on fitness, mental health and hitting the reset button before I start my next adventure. The jobs that are in the pipeline are not necessarily the ones I will end up doing, I am still looking at other options, and the time off will help me make my next move with confidence. I have looked at a wide variety of jobs and industries, and only gone with the ones that interest or excite me.
All I can say now is cheers for reading, here's to new beginnings, a new adventure for everyone, and wish the majority of my fellow colleagues all the best. There are of course exceptions to that, and they either know who they are, or are so oblivious to my feelings towards them, that it explains why I feel the way I do haha.
Right, enough waffle, I have a life to plan. Take care all