There didn’t seem any point in getting worked up

On Wednesday the company announced a whole series of redundancies, including the entire Marketing department (my job included!). Officially we are now on two weeks “consultation”, but realistically there is little chance that the decisions will be reversed (many people have gone already – mainly the ones who hadn’t been here very long and were not going to get a redundancy payment). I have been informed that after the two weeks “consultation” I will be on one month’s notice (probably not required to work this) and get some redundancy money.

Sales Director Neil Hancock told me the news. I was summoned into his office at four o’clock on Wednesday afternoon, and asked to take a seat. I knew immediately what was coming – there had already been three redundancies at lunchtime (two Receptionists and an Admin Assistant – they stood around for ages in a little huddle in the car park) plus Neil Hancock closed the office door behind us, which implied he was going to say something serious. He looked to left and right, and then looked all round the office (everywhere except in my direction) while he commenced a rambling introduction about how bad the sales figures were this month (a quarter of a million down on target) before blurting out that twenty staff were being made redundant, including all of the Marketing department. He stopped at this point and looked at me expectantly. Feeling obliged to say something I said “That’s very shocking news” but it came out in such a relaxed way that he may have thought I was being ironic (he seemed a bit disappointed that there wasn’t more of a reaction – in reality it was so obvious what he was going to say that I wanted him to stop being so nervous and fidgety about it).

Anyway, we had a civilised and amicable discussion about the need for redundancies, and he explained that the company was heavily dependent on public sector construction contract work – the government has been pouring money into this area in the twelve months before the May general election (creating mini economic booms in key parts of the country), but now this money was being turned off leaving local councils struggling for cash.

After my interview my assistant Antony Fraser was called in and told he was being made redundant (like me, he had already guessed) and yesterday morning my other assistant Caron Maryatt was also told she would be going.

Some of the other staff being made redundant took it very badly, but from my perspective there didn’t seem any point in getting worked up about a decision that is not going to be reversed. As one of the sales reps said to me “Better to go now while you get a redundancy payment than risk the whole company going under in a year’s time with nobody gettin’ nuffin”. Everyone in the general office was very sympathetic. Various conspiracy theories circulated, especially that the company was being moved bit by bit up to Glasgow. One junior member of staff tried to cheer us up by saying in a northern (Geordie) voice “You have now been evicted from the Big Brother company” (a reference to a “reality” show currently playing on Channel Four).

Yesterday evening I had dinner with Alan Nixon and Gary Spencer at the Crayfish restaurant in Harston near Cambridge (smoked salmon followed by Dover sole followed by chocolate bruleé followed by filter coffee. Sancerre to drink). They were both very supportive and said I would soon have another job. Gary Spencer actually offered me a part-time job in his financial services company while I was looking for something permanent, but I think it would be a mistake to work for someone who was also a friend.