Voluntary redundancy - is now the time? Get your escape plan ready

Is now a good time to think about asking for voluntary redundancy?

Voluntary redundancy can be the opportunity, the sign, you’ve been waiting for to make a change, get out there, start something new. But it might also feel like a gamble. What if they say no? Will they sack you? What if they say yes? Does that mean they don’t value you? It’s emotional. However, with a bit of prep work it could just be the best thing you ever did.

Here are a few things to think about

1. Have you got your ‘Escape’ Plan ready?

If they said ‘yes’ what is your next move, have you got ideas, are there things you want to do, do you know how you’d do it?

Practical stuff, will you need a new car, laptop, phone, pension etc?

2. Have you got your financial back up plan mapped out?

You might be able to negotiate a nice redundancy package, but to make this a successful leap, get your financial numbers in order

How much do you need to cover you each month, how long have you got before you need to earn again.

3. Who do you need to discuss this with?

Family, dependants, friends - is there anyone who will be affected by your decision?

4. You will need professional advice to support you through the process.

Have you got a solicitor? Do you need financial advice?

5. Once you ask, they may ask you to go on garden leave quite quickly

Are you ready to get what you asked for?

How to go about volunteering

If you hear officially or non-officially of redundancies being made, there is a team of people somewhere in the company now trying to work through who is on the list. It might be manager discretion, it might be a restructure, it might be a clear out. Whatever the reason the common factor in all of it is that no one wants to be doing this work, no manager wants to be planning to get rid of people. (Well, maybe some but let’s pretend only nice people exist in this world).

In some cases volunteering can be helping them. So, if you get this approach right it could be a win, win.

If official redundancies aren’t being talked about, but you know your manager still has budget constraints, it could still be a good time.

How to have the conversation

You need to plan your pitch like a pro. You need your conversation to be positive (no moaning about how bad it all is), neutral in tone (dial down emotions) and punchy (no rambling). The aim is to get the agreement, but leave on a high with the full respect and support of your manager.

Plan your conversation, talk it through out loud (not in the company toilet - although that’s one way to communicate it ?)
Put time in the diary, 30 minutes is good, find a meeting room, create a good environment
Find your common ground with your manager, (or the person you need to talk to), think about your relationship with them, think about approaching it from their point of view

Approach it like a ‘soft’ negotiation; pitch your proposal, explain why you want to be made redundant, why it’s important to you, explain why you think it’s a good time for you and the business. And then be silent. Wait for your manager’s response.

Be prepared for what happens next
Be prepared for your manager to want time to think about it, they maybe not be able to make the decision
Be prepared for your request not to be accepted, you need the conversation to be positive so that if you have to stay you can still deliver in your role
·Be prepared for your request to be accepted, even though you’ve asked for this it might still feel like a shock, you might still feel a little lost afterwards, and you might still get the ‘wobbles’. All that’s normal, you’ve taken a leap and now there is no going back!