Handling redundancy Beyond The Book

During any period of unrest, and political/economic uncertainty, things can (if you choose to let them) start to look a bit bleak.

From well-known high-street retailers and global automotive manufacturers, to smaller scale SME’s and creative agencies, companies of all shapes and sizes can, at times, be vulnerable to periods of general economic downturn.

As Recruitment Consultants, we spend a lot of quality time talking to, and getting to know, our candidates; very specifically their reasons and motivations behind looking for a new role. Over the last 12 months or so, there has certainly been an increase in those contacting us due to a confirmed redundancy or concerns over job security.

The first thing I say to candidates is, “Don’t panic!”. For the vast majority of candidates their redundancy is in absolutely no way reflective of them or their work. The fact of the matter is their company has been tasked with cost cutting and, more often than not, reducing headcount and leaning-up is the most effective way of doing that.

I get it - in the moment it feels bleak and clearly there are financial concerns that come with redundancy. For example, you may have a mortgage and dependants, and you just weren’t prepared for this

But, this could be the ‘nudge’ you’ve been waiting for; it’s pretty cliche, but it’s true what they say, every cloud has a silver lining. So, how can you handle redundancy? Here are my 5 top tips:

Heed the warning signs;
Don’t panic!
Have a strategy.
Upskill
This is more of a life lesson, than a redundancy specific one - but it’s a good one.

So, in summary; don’t panic, have a strategy and ask for help. There are specialists out there who are happy to consult and advise (as an example, here at Beyond the Book we can absolutely do that for anyone in the Creative, Marketing and Digital sector). This is your opportunity to take control of your destiny. Good Luck!