Forums > Social Discussion > UK Credit Crunch - Lost your job?

Posted: 7th Oct 2008


I've been sat at my desk for the last 2 weeks waiting to hear if I'm one of the unlucky 20 being made redundant.

Sorry to hear you've lost yours Vix.

Posted: 7th Oct 2008
It's crazy this credit crisis.

My sister says in her dept people keep on going missing - then when you ask about them to her manager they just say, "no haven't seem them". It's only because one of them was my sister's mate that she knows they're sacking them! - not even redundancy pay.

My sister's friend had a glowing performance review and enjoyed her job - and got sacked for, "under performing"! and told not to make a scene and to leave quietly.

How can top businesses work like this?

Vix -
My only advice is apply for a job that you think wont be effected by the current climate - something in the public sector prehaps?

Never pick up a duck in a dungeon...

Posted: 7th Oct 2008
huh then get screwed by never being payed enough and having to much work to do.

I found out i wont be getting a xmas temp and as i work in retail (merchendising) its far to much for one person to do as usual

he he i am mike the amazing gloscircus person who is mike.

Officaly an exception to the Poi Boys are Girls Thing

Posted: 7th Oct 2008
I got hit by it in April. Its amazing how far things have moved on since then.

The company I worked for collapsed the day before pay day so I ended up not getting my last months wages. Also after 3 months I finally got government compensation of about £200 (I was owed about £1500 at the time) which then had tax removed from it!

In a strange way losing all that money made me really determined to do something constructive with myself. I'm now self employed doing something that I absolutely love.

Its funny how things work out.

Vix - Keep your head up. Think about what you really want to do with your life. You'll never have a better chance to make that decision than when you have nothing to lose

Posted: 7th Oct 2008
Well it looks like I'm safe... not certain due to yet more confusions in communication, but I'm pretty confident I'm OK. A lot of good people were not so lucky

I can't say I feel hugely confident about the future now though, there's a feeling of this being the thin end of the wedge etc

Posted: 7th Oct 2008
to Vix and Chutney and way to go Seye!

I've been made redundant from more jobs than I've left - twice in the last 3 years, 6 times in all, and in this job less than a year so 'vulnerable' - so I know how you feel. You can do as Seye has done and use it as a springboard to different things, you might find the change will do you good, but mostly you'll just be worrying about the bills and feeling pants and poo.

I spent a silly amount of my redundancy money 3 yrs ago with a consultant - I definitely didn't get my money's worth but a really good thing to come out of it was my cv. They use a 'funelling' technique which is incredibly simple in essence, quite difficult to do well but immensely effective - not only in the end result of your cv but also in making you focus and home in on your skills, talents, experience and most importantly what you enjoy. Very affirming.

If you're interested in knowing more pm me - not really a suitable thread subject!

As my mum says in these situations "keep your pecker up"

Hugs to all
e
x

'The last rays of crimson on the spindle tree as the cerise fruit splits and reveals its orange seeds in a gloriously clashing colour scheme no-one would ever dare to wear'
Euonymous Europeus

Posted: 7th Oct 2008
Can I ask what you all work as to be at such a risk? Are you casual rather than full time?

We have such trouble firing problem staff, let alone making up excuses to get rid of people.

Those of you wanting CV advice, I see them every day and the worst thing is when they're not relevent. Structure a CV like this:

*Name
*Contact details
*Summary of experience or personal statement
*Jobs, most recent first, expand on relevent areas, try and highlight transferable experience if not relevent, like customer skills if going from reception to hospitality.
Unless you don't have much work experience summarise student placements but don't make too much of a deal over them.
*Qualifications. Unless you don't have higher qualifications or it's your first job, don't list them. No one cares about your C in art GCSE, "3 A-levels in maths, biology and partical physics" is fine. Only list units from your degree if it's relevent.
*Personal interests. Again, the more recent, the better. I had one recently where a 45 year old pointed out he was in the little athletics when he was 12. Who cares?
*References

Always include a cover letter, these don't have to be long, google it and you'll get some good proformas to copy.

Don't put a birth date on, it's illegal to discriminate on age so it's irrelevent. Never put a photo on, it'll get passed around the secretaries and mocked.

A plain font like ariel is best, courier looks awful. Don't try and pretty it up with background pictures, again, it just looks awful. If you want to stand out, use a heavyweight cream paper.

If you're going through an agency just provide the information and don't bother trying to pretty it up as they copy everything into their own format anyway.

There is a slight possibility that I am not actually right all of the time.

Posted: 8th Oct 2008
*Big hugs!* - Thank you guys!

I worked for an online magazine as a photographer / journalist / site manager. Been there for nearly 3 years full time. Sadly though the company relies on advertising to generate profit and theres the problem - credit crunch means no one is paying their bills.

Having said all that though i've just had a rather pleading message from my (ex) boss asking me if i'd be prepared to work part time from home - he can't cope without me! haha.

I have taken your advice though Seye and have been looking into the kinds of jobs ive always wanted to do. Maybe we should start another thread on information about being self-employed - i wouldn't know where to start!

xxx

tHeReS gOoD aNd EvIl iN EaCh InDiViDuAl fIrE, iDeNtIfIeS nEeDs AnD fEeDs OuR dEsIrEs.

Posted: 8th Oct 2008
Oooh, Vix, Part time working means you have plenty of time to come and visit us in Bristol!

Hey, you could even move to Bristol, maybe find work here! Then we can get married and everything! Everyone wins!



Ed (Member of the Bristol jugglers press gang)

But on a more serious note,it does suck that you got made redundant.

I mean, Come to Bristol.

Empty your mind. Be formless, Shapeless, like Water.
Put Water into a cup, it becomes the cup, put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, put water into a teapot, it becomes the teapot.
Water can flow, or it can Crash.
Be Water My Friend.

Posted: 8th Oct 2008
Originally Posted By: EeraCan I ask what you all work as to be at such a risk? Are you casual rather than full time?

We have such trouble firing problem staff, let alone making up excuses to get rid of people.

:ditto: took 6 moonths to get rid of someone who screwed up regularly, poor attendance, etc.

I do feel secure in my job, but only because I'm no longer the last one in on my section. and there are similar companies worse off than us still going.

A couple of balls short of a full cascade... or maybe a few cards short of a deck... we'll see how this all fans out.

Posted: 8th Oct 2008
As for my sister's friend at her job..

she works for an accountancy firm... go figure - one of the top 3 in the country. They have a whole HR army who can sort out the paperwork for firing people no problems. They know all the loopholes and such.

Other people i've heard from work in advertising - like Vix said, they have no one to pay for there slots.

Never pick up a duck in a dungeon...

Posted: 8th Oct 2008
Ed - if id lost my job a week earlier then i would have moved to Bristol - but my best mates just signed a 6 month lease with someone else so I have no one to live with. xxx

tHeReS gOoD aNd EvIl iN EaCh InDiViDuAl fIrE, iDeNtIfIeS nEeDs AnD fEeDs OuR dEsIrEs.

Posted: 8th Oct 2008
My penultimate redundancy was in actual fact a sacking with a very sweet 'Compromise Agreement' - even the solicitor I hired to review it said I must've been pretty important to them and equally they had no real justification for getting rid of me. But that's a n evviable position to be in (after 9 yrs with the firm) and I'm unlikely to get there again! If you're in a job less than 2 yrs and the company needs to cost cut and cut head count, you're stuffed.

Getting rid of poorly performing staff is a whole other ball game - as you've found. The idiots are protected from pretty much everything aaprt from gross mis-conduct as the onus is on employers to correct their performance thru training and coaching even if the employee shows no aptitude or attitude to do so.

Sorry, rant over

'The last rays of crimson on the spindle tree as the cerise fruit splits and reveals its orange seeds in a gloriously clashing colour scheme no-one would ever dare to wear'
Euonymous Europeus

Posted: 8th Oct 2008
Hmmm dosnt look to difficult for debenhams at the moment after iceland going bankrupt they own part of debenhams but so ddo lehman brothers etc etc hmmm new job me thinks

he he i am mike the amazing gloscircus person who is mike.

Officaly an exception to the Poi Boys are Girls Thing

Posted: 9th Oct 2008
thank god for not being employed, i'm pretty sure i wont be fired from being a student

"but have you considered there is more to life than your eyelids?"

jointly owned by Fire_Spinning_Angel and Blu_Valley

Posted: 10th Oct 2008
I am writing a feature for the Evening Standard on the effects of the recession/credit crunch and how they are being felt in different areas and in different people's lives.
I am looking for six people (FROM LONDON) who have lost their jobs recently (in the last year or so) who would be happy to talk to me about the type of career they have been in, what their experience has been, how they feel about the current economic climate and what their plans are for the future. It can include people who have taken voluntary redundancy because of jobs cuts in the company and it doesn't necessarily have to be doom and gloom (they may have got a new better job for example, or they may be happy because they want to spend more time with the family etc...) although anyone who wants a rant and rave is also welcome!
I need a fairly diverse range of people - estate agent, banker, charity worker, publicist, actor, nanny, waiter, artist, butcher, baker, candlestick maker. You name it.
If anyone you know is in this position and would be happy to talk to me and have their picture taken, please please get in touch. This is for a story to run next week

Thanks!
Ellen

Ellen Widdup
07958 581914

Posted: 10th Oct 2008
Originally Posted By: MikefromGlosHmmm dosnt look to difficult for debenhams at the moment after iceland going bankrupt they own part of debenhams but so ddo lehman brothers etc etc hmmm new job me thinks

Ah yes, the intricate web that is international finance - and how scary is it that local councils are at risk becasue of Icelands collapse?? I'd like to say I'm shocked but actually, given the complete lack of regulation and promary motivation of ALL financial institutions, I'm not. But I am very worried - does it mean Councils will be bankrupt? Will services decline/stop? WIll there be redundancies from the public sector?

And not only local governemnt but also central government will have to do it's share of cost-cutting to finance the big bail-out.

Capitalism will eat itself

'The last rays of crimson on the spindle tree as the cerise fruit splits and reveals its orange seeds in a gloriously clashing colour scheme no-one would ever dare to wear'
Euonymous Europeus