All About Redundancy Counselling

Good employers often make redundancy counselling services available to their outgoing staff. If that doesn’t happen to you, you can always contact one privately.

So what can you expect from a redundancy counselling service? Modalities differ. Sometimes the counselling is offered at your company site; sometimes elsewhere. The counselling may be focused into a single intensive day or half-day, or may be delivered in smaller sessions over an extended period. Sometimes you can expect one-on-one advice from a counsellor, or even a specialised series of counsellors, each of whom will coach you on one aspect of your future job search; sometimes the counselling will be delivered in group sessions instead.

Counselling You About Your Future Career

Typically, your counsellor will go over your potential future career options with you, including an exploration of some you may not have thought about before. Sometimes psychometric tests are used to evaluate your aptitudes. This can help suggest new job roles which might suit you better than the position you’re just leaving. If you don’t have the skills required to perform in these new roles, the redundancy counsellor will be able to recommend courses and prepare a training plan for you.

Job-hunting Advice

Much of what a redundancy counsellor gives you will be very practical and down-to-earth job-hunting advice. Expect tips on things like how to put together an impressive CV, write a winning cover letter, present yourself to advantage at interviews and so forth. You may have heard this all before, but it never hurts to hear it again, especially if you’ve been with your employer for a long time and so haven’t been job-hunting in a while.

Redundancy counselling services can also prepare special programs for those who face unusually challenging redundancy situations. For example, if an entire sector of the economy, like finance, for example, is massively down-sizing, looking for a similar job to the one you just left may not be very realistic. For those affected, transitioning into new roles may become almost mandatory.

Similar challenges are faced, for example, by those who may have spent their entire lives working in the public sector. Redundancy may force them to compete in the private sector in the first time, where the tempo of work and the pressure of expectations may be wholly different from what they are used to. Experienced counsellors can help ease the burden of these difficult transitions.

Counselling About Redundancy’s Pitfalls

Redundancy clearly can have a potentially grave effect on your finances. To help you cope with this, redundancy counselling will often include some financial advice, which may range from anything such as tips on how to save money to thoughts on where to invest that lump sum you ought to be getting.

You can also expect redundancy counsellors to go over some of the psychological aspects of redundancy. Advice on maintaining your sense of self-esteem, the importance of a positive attitude while engaging in job search and warnings about some of the psychological perils of redundancy – such as the potential for experiencing serious stress, deep depression, and marriage difficulties – should all form part of this. Note that most redundancy counsellors will not be expert psychologists themselves, so if you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, they probably won’t be able to treat you directly, but they should be able to refer you to a specialist who can.

Redundancy Counselling – Conclusion

Redundancy is often confusing and stressful. Third-party support can be very useful in helping you get your bearings, stay calm in the midst of the storm, and, ultimately, map out a positive new future for yourself.