Each project arrives with its purpose, milestones and first tasks written out. Here is how the first three read.
First 72 hours after a redundancy notice
The day the notice lands is the day people sign things, post angry messages or tell nobody at all, and each of those can cost money or options later. Spending the first three days on a short, fixed list (write down what was said, ask for everything in writing, check the deadlines, sleep on any signature) keeps every choice open while the shock settles.
First tasks
- Write down everything said in the notice meeting while you still remember it
- Email HR asking for the redundancy letter and proposed terms in writing
- List every date and deadline mentioned in the letter
- Tell one trusted person outside work what has happened today
Contract and policy redundancy terms read-through
Your employment contract, staff handbook and any collective agreement often promise more than the legal minimum: longer notice, an enhanced severance formula, outplacement or extended health cover. Reading them before the first consultation meeting tells you what you are already entitled to, so you negotiate on the extra rather than ask for what is yours.
First tasks
- Find your signed contract and download the current staff handbook
- Search both for redundancy, notice, severance and termination clauses
- Ask the agent to summarise the clauses into a one-page entitlements sheet
- Send HR the questions the documents leave open
Redundancy paper trail of letters and meetings
Months later, the dispute is almost always about what was said and when: whether consultation happened, what score you received, what alternative roles were offered. A single folder with every letter, email and meeting note, kept outside company systems, makes any appeal, negotiation or adviser conversation faster and far stronger.
First tasks
- Create a personal folder for redundancy letters and meeting notes
- Forward or save every HR email about your role to that folder
- Write a dated timeline from the first hint of cuts to today
- Add a meeting note within a day of every future consultation meeting
