Sacked Today

[Cntxy81]

I need your advice.

Today I have been called to a meeting and out of the blue I have been told that they want to sack me.
I believe they have no right on claiming underperformance as I am being measured against a made up sales target that I have disputed multiple times.
In the meeting, I was given the option of voluntary redundancy. I didn’t agree nor disagree, I told them I wanted to review my options.
My notice period as per my contract is 3 months and I had been with my company for 2.5 years.
As soon as I arrived home (my emails have been blocked and my colleagues made aware that I had already left the company) I received an email to my personal address telling me something like “As per your redundancy request 3 months ago today is your last day, we will pay you a sum of XXX (equating to 3 months salary).
I know the XXX money is tax free, which benefits me. However, I find this very unfair and I am considering sending them an email saying something like “I accept to give my redundancy notice today as long as I can keep the XXX lamp sum”
Please give me some advice.

[NotAllThere]

Take the money. Find a new job.

Or go see an employment lawyer.

[GhostofTarbera]

I swear to god, I read the 1st line as they wanted to suck you

Went downhill from there

3 months tax free money is like 5 months+ - happy days, enjoy and move on


Sent from my iPhone using Contractor UK Forum

[KinooOrKinog]

I imagine there's a bit more to it than what you've said but if you think of statutory redundancy, it's one week for every year service up to a max of £525 a week. So you'd get a maximum of £1050 for that.

Sounds like they don't want you there & you don't want to be there so I would just take the money & go.

[ladymuck]

They can't offer redundancy if the job still exists but it's a handy way to pay you off to leave.

I think a forum that is geared up towards helping employees may be of more use to you, rather than one that is for freelancers and the self-employed.

[northernladuk]

This is a forum full of contractors I'm afraid. Couple have gone perm but not quite the best place to post. But..

I'd personally speak to someone dealing with employment law. There is no chance you'll get your job back so must admit the pay out looks pretty sweet but you can increase that. They cannot ask you to take voluntary redundancy. That's illegal. My last perm client tried to do that and I got 30% more with no effort at all. Its blatantly wrong and a decent lawyer will rip them a new one.

Problem is if you have done something that warrants instant dismissal they may withdraw. If you don't know then I doubt you have and should have a first warning etc.

Make sure as part of the exit agreement either way you've got a good reference written in.

Get a pro on the case, get the money upped and move on.

[BrilloPad]

Take your case to a no win no fee place. If they will take it on, fund it yourself.

All credit to NLUK for that top piece of advice.

[NotAllThere]

All credit to NLUK for that top piece of advice.

Yes.

I was once a permie manager, and it is remarkably difficult to get rid of troublesome employees under UK law without falling foul of unfair dismissal. However, taking the legal route to its conclusion can be very stressful.

[BlueSharp]

Sounds like they wanted to get ride of you and have made a right mess of it. First of all it reads like they have offered you redundancy but not honoured the notice period in your employment contract and have back dated a fake notice request.

Personally I would raise a grievance with the HR department for unfair dismissal and breach of contract, I would want the 3 months pay and redundancy money to settle. Before any ET claim you must try this option. Do you have legal cover with your house insurance? some do cover these sort of claims.

[BrilloPad]

Yes.

I was once a permie manager, and it is remarkably difficult to get rid of troublesome employees under UK law without falling foul of unfair dismissal. However, taking the legal route to its conclusion can be very stressful.

That was why the law changed in 2011 so you have to be permie 2 years before you get full employment rights.

Mind you, I got the push from JPM in 2015. They had begged me for months to return from a hedge fund and finally offered so much I could not resist. They then sacked me 18 months later - but still gave me 8 weeks notice gardening leave and 3 months pay out. I went straight into a (very lucrative) contract and was very nervous about doing a contract while on gardening leave - but no employer ever seems to have queried it.

Sometimes you hate change, but its the best thing to happen to you!