Lucy Feavearyear, Mustard HR

“Brainstorm your options. What aspects of your previous role did you enjoy, what do you want to avoid if possible? Many people enjoy ‘portfolio careers’ – could you find interim employment to tide you over and create a side hustle doing the thing you really love? Be open to all possibilities. If someone had told me a year ago that I’d have set up my own consultancy I would never have believed them. Take yourself out of your comfort zone, you never know where it might lead you.”

When Lucy got made redundant she knew it was time for a change. Lucy shares her story of going all out and setting up her consultancy business.

A bit about you

I can’t say that HR was always my calling, in-fact for the interview for my first (admin) role in an HR team, I had to look up what ‘Human Resources’ meant. However, I learnt quickly and it was a career I soon grew to love. I underwent my CIPD qualifications whilst working in various HR roles.

I am MCIPD qualified, gaining my full CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) – the professional body for HR and people development - qualifications in 2008 and achieving Chartered status in 2012.

After having my youngest child, I became unwell with a chronic condition. For the first time since becoming a parent, I struggled to hold down my busy job and home life the way I’d always been successfully able to, in-fact I’d always thrived on being busy so my health letting me down came as a massive shock.

When were you made redundant?

After a company merger it was announced that there was to be a restructure of the senior HR teams. I had just started to get back on my feet health-wise and was feeling more like myself than I had done in a long time, so this news dealt me a real blow.

The restructure wasn’t dealt with particularly well (as is often the case within an HR team itself) and team morale was at an all time low. I couldn’t see how I would fit in to the proposed structure and there seemed to be a lot of obstacles for someone like me with caring responsibilities and health issues.

Up until then I had loved my job and enjoyed working with my colleagues but I didn’t feel well supported and realised for the first time that whilst I’d always been a loyal and dedicated member of the team, when it came down to it I was only a number.

After much soul searching and discussions with my partner, I decided to apply for voluntary redundancy for the sake of my health and our family life. My request was accepted.

This was a huge decision and one I have questioned many times.

Working my notice was a very strange and quite difficult period. My health took a massive nosedive which caused me much anxiety about what the future held, especially given I had always been the main breadwinner and had a young family to support. Luckily I have a very laid back but supportive partner who stepped up when needed (he is self-employed and since our son was born had mainly been a stay at home dad).

When I eventually left my job, I was overwhelmed at the kindness and generosity of the colleagues and friends I was leaving behind. Redundancy can knock the confidence of the most robust of people and so this really lifted my spirits and self-esteem at a time of fragility.

What did you do after you were made redundant?

Initially I did what I do best and took a practical approach, working out how far my redundancy pay would stretch, looked where we could spend less etc. My partner went back to work and our family dynamics changed overnight.

As well as my day job I also sat as a lay member on employment tribunals so I put myself forward for as much of that as possible so that at least I had a moderate income.

I had outplacement support (support for those made redundant usually funded by the employer) which was a pretty generic package from a nationwide provider. The resources were quite basic (although perhaps this is because I work in HR) and geared towards finding further employment. The most useful aspect of this support was three sessions with an outplacement coach. The first was held quite soon after finishing my job. I was all about getting another HR role. I explained my personal circumstances and experience and the coach suggested exploring self-employment. This is something I had briefly considered but had quickly discounted, I think due to lack of confidence and fear of the unknown. The coach didn’t push it further, however he sowed a seed which began to grow…

Around this time I attended an event on being a freelance parent, which looking back was my ‘light-bulb’ moment. I had been feeling quite low about not having found my dream (employed) role; there just were no flexible senior HR roles out there. That evening I met others who were freelancing or about to start and for the first time I thought it might just be possible.

Around this time I was put in touch with Pam who was offering free coaching sessions as part of her coaching qualification. She was great and this really cemented the idea of self-employment for me.

How did you decide what to do next?

Once I realised that others believed in me, I decided it was now or never and so threw myself into looking at all aspects of self-employment. I’m quite an organised person and so treated this as I would any project, ticking off items as I went along (new laptop/software, logo, photo’s, website, accounts, templates).

Over the past few months I’ve learned so much about running a business; accounts, IT, business development which in HR I’d never needed to do. I have also recognised my limits and made sure I have drawn on the expertise of others where needed such as an accountant and a website/SEO specialist.

I have spent a lot of time considering my offer to ensure that I am utilising my strengths and experience and (for the first time in a long while) stick to what my gut tells me is the right thing to do – personally and ethically.

I’ve also made sure I have the means of recording the hours I’m working given the whole point of self-employment was to give me flexibility. I realise it won’t work to be too rigid, especially in the early days so knowing what I need to earn, I’ve devised a system of tracking days worked so that if I have a busy spell I ensure I take some time off when it inevitably quietens down. I’m hoping this will help not only keep my health on track but offer a better balance for my whole family.

Whilst I’ve had moments of ‘what am I doing!’ and sometimes feel anxious that I won’t make my previous salary, I’ve come to the conclusion that as long as I can cover the bills with a bit left over for fun, I’m less concerned about earning and more focused on quality of life.

I finally have my website up and running and have gained my first clients. My plan is to get things off the ground in September when my youngest will be at nursery on regular days. In the meantime, I’m trying to make sure I enjoy the time with my children this Summer and not stress too much.

What would be your advice to anyone who has just been made redundant?

Try to keep calm and think practically - it is no good taking a head in the sand approach. You need to look at your finances and work out how you are going to manage financially over the next 1/3/6 months etc. Utilise any free financial help available (CAB, your pension provider etc) and consider your household dynamics, could they change in the short or even longer term?

Try not to take it personally – easier said than done I know but try to view it as an opportunity. I don’t think that there are many people who are made redundant who absolutely loved their job/employer, so hopefully you can eventually treat it as a learning experience and move on to better things. I certainly now feel that my employer did me a favour (although at the time I know it can evoke feelings of hurt and rejection).

Brainstorm your options - employment (similar or new area), self-employment? What aspects of your previous role did you enjoy, what do you want to avoid if possible? Many people these days enjoy ‘portfolio careers’ – could you perhaps find interim employment to tide you over and create a side hustle doing the thing you really love? Explore all options and ensure you are open to all possibilities. If someone had told me a year ago that I’d have set up my own consultancy I would never have believed them. Take yourself out of your comfort zone, you never know where it might lead you.

Don’t be proud – take all the help you can get. Ask your employer for outplacement support and utilise it to your advantage. Think about your current network, who could you approach to assist you and with what? Make it known that you are available for new opportunities. If you are not already on LinkedIn, set up a profile and put yourself out there.

If you did decide to go down the self-employed route, my advice would be;

If possible set up a contingency fund as it might take a while to get things off the ground but the bills still need paying.
If IT is not your thing, outsource! Yes, it is a cost up-front but I am so glad I used an expert instead of trying to set up my own website for example.
Social media is your friend! Initially I felt very exposed ‘putting myself out there’ on social media platforms but it does get easier and is such a good way of getting your new venture some recognition.
Network! The clients I have gained to date have been word of mouth. I intend to make full use of local networking groups to build upon this. There are loads out there, it is a case of trial and error to see what suits.

More about Lucy

Lucy Feavearyear, trading as Mustard HR, offers a “no-nonsense” approach to your employment dilemmas. Covering Norfolk, Suffolk, and surrounding areas, Lucy provides practical solutions to like minded businesses who cannot justify a full-time HR resource or who require independent or impartial support.

Lucy specialises in Employee Relations, which in a nutshell encompasses the individual and collective relationships within a workplace, including:

Discipline, Grievance, Appeal and Employment Tribunals are all specialist areas for Mustard HR and are approached with the utmost sensitivity and confidentiality.
“Preventative” work on managing performance issues informally is a popular service, as is assistance with capability/ill health, flexible working and absence management issues.
Mustard HR can help with the smooth management of TUPE transfers, restructures and redundancy situations.
Assistance with implementing initiatives such as Employee Wellbeing, Flexible Working and Corporate Social Responsibility can all be provided by Mustard HR.

As part of the management of any of these employment issues, Mustard HR can provide telephone/email advice, attendance at meetings and employee correspondence. Mustard HR can put together a proposal tailored to your unique business needs. Please get in contact for a free consultation to discuss your requirements.

Website: www.mustardhr.co.uk

LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/lucy-feavearyear-8a49b35b

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mustardhr/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mustard_hr/