How to subtly ask for redundancy?

I am on maternity leave. For various reasons I don't wish to return and believe that my job is being adequately covered in my absence and that I am not missed. I work part time - 3 days a week. I'm not close to anyone at work as since I started my ML my manager has left and 2 of my closest colleagues.

I know that as a rresult of a recent merger there were reduncancies offered and would like to be made redundant if possible. Can anyone help suggest how I would word a letter to my new manager, who I hardly know, enquiring about the possibility of being made redundant. I will be resigning anyway but want to chance my arm at a pay off .......

Betsy

BetsyClark said:

I am on maternity leave. For various reasons I don't wish to return and believe that my job is being adequately covered in my absence and that I am not missed. I work part time - 3 days a week. I'm not close to anyone at work as since I started my ML my manager has left and 2 of my closest colleagues.

I know that as a rresult of a recent merger there were reduncancies offered and would like to be made redundant if possible. Can anyone help suggest how I would word a letter to my new manager, who I hardly know, enquiring about the possibility of being made redundant. I will be resigning anyway but want to chance my arm at a pay off .......

Betsy

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Just ask.... if the manager is looking to made people redundant he will be delighted to hear from you... .if not, nothing lost....

Is the redundancy Voluntary or Compulsory? If it is voluntary, then you can just apply.

It is probably best to contact the HR department to get details of what the process is for determining redundant positions.

check it out with some of those who have left on the redundancy package.
personally i would not write a letter but approach them face to faceand ask straight up what the situation is.don't let them know that you are planning to leave anyway..
i work in a large organisation where there have been 3 redudndancies in 10 years and some of my good friends rue the day they did not apply for it and now on a regular basis they ask the manager if there is a fresh chance of redudndancy.. the answer is no but at least he knows he can count on them to go it there is another opportunity

"some of my good friends rue the day they did not apply for it and now on a regular basis they ask the manager if there is a fresh chance of redudndancy.. "

That is truly awful. Your work is a huge chunk of your life. Unless there are severe economic constraints, it is madness to allow the faint prospect of a pay-off keep you stuck in a job you don't like.

MOB said:

"some of my good friends rue the day they did not apply for it and now on a regular basis they ask the manager if there is a fresh chance of redudndancy.. "

That is truly awful. Your work is a huge chunk of your life. Unless there are severe economic constraints, it is madness to allow the faint prospect of a pay-off keep you stuck in a job you don't like.

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Might be worth a few months or a year to get 30-40k tax free.

Is your employer topping up your maternity pay?
If so there may be a claw back.
I will resist the urge to vent my spleen at how dishonourable and cynical I think you are being.

Purple said:

Is your employer topping up your maternity pay?
If so there may be a claw back.
I will resist the urge to vent my spleen at how dishonourable and cynical I think you are being.

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I don't think thats fair. Having a baby is (usually) a life changing event and your perspectives and objectives can change while you are off. If you abide by your contract wheres the problem?

aircobra19 said:

I don't think thats fair. Having a baby is (usually) a life changing event and your perspectives and objectives can change while you are off. If you abide by your contract wheres the problem?

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I don't want to get into it as it's not relevant to the OP's question.

MOB,indeed was i said it is true and they do routinely ask the boss and in fact on occassion his boss for redundancy but we are looking at approx 100k here and more for some of them,it's hard to walk away from that kind of money.

Purple said:

I don't want to get into it as it's not relevant to the OP's question.

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But in fairness you did.

Purple said:

....
I will resist the urge to vent my spleen at how dishonourable and cynical I think you are being.

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But you didn't.

therave said:

MOB,indeed was i said it is true and they do routinely ask the boss and in fact on occassion his boss for redundancy but we are looking at approx 100k here and more for some of them,it's hard to walk away from that kind of money.

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Thats some redundancy.

Out of interest, why do companies pay such massive redunancy packages?
Surely if they trying to cut staff costs, they would simply pay the statuatary minimum.
Don't understand it at all.

micmclo said:

Out of interest, why do companies pay such massive redunancy packages?
Surely if they trying to cut staff costs, they would simply pay the statuatary minimum.
Don't understand it at all.

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Primarily to make it attractive for people to take redundancy - usually staff who would be getting redundancy packages of €100k+ would be longer term employees with 10-15 years+ of service on mid to high salaries and if payscales / bands operate in the company many of these employees would be near or at the top of the payscale and would be currently costing the company a lot of money in salary, benefits and pension. Despite the seemingly large figure, for many companies it is cheaper for them to payout and get rid of the employee rather than keep them on and have increased pension liabilities further down the line.

There is also the fact that companies may want their employees to leave with a good impression of the company and so continue to advocate for the company post redundancy - for many companies, particularly in retail markets, their employees are their best salespeople. The company may not want ex-employees bad-mouthing the company once they leave because the employees feel they were "screwed". This is "softer" view of the employer / employee relationship and is not universally accepted as having merit.

Finally, and probably the rarest, some companies do feel a sense of obligation towards their employees and would genuinely like to reward employees for their contribution towards the previous success of the company.

In my experience they use cap it at something like x weeks of salary per y yrs of service, to a max of z yrs.

A current voluntary package I know of is pitched at 6 weeks salary plus 2 weeks statutory capped at 26 years. The employees are on a defined benefit pension scheme with profit share. It works out at about 3 years salary. Its great for those in their early thirties who will have employement opportunities but for those fifty plus it is not such a great offer.

Hi and thanks

My company pay only statutory minimum, I work in the UK. I want to ask subtly as if my manager knows I have no intention of returning then he will obviously just let me resign. My company don't enhance my maternity pay and there is no return to work incentive.

Betsy