“We think you ought to go….”

If you watched Sky Television News recently, you’ll have seen the interminable trailers for programmes dealing with the ‘r’ word? This word was blotted out whenever Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Mervyn King, head of the Bank of England, mouthed it. Then it was eventually allowed to be heard – ‘recession’.

But there’s another ‘r’ word that is said quietly, whispered even because it’s related to the other ‘r’ and causes considerable hurt to those directly affected – ‘redundancy’. It doesn’t matter if it affects one person or one hundred; the impact can be devastating and with insensitive management, downright humiliating.

Probably everyone can quote an anecdote of how so and so was called in and suddenly disappeared. In truth many of us have been in the same boat, as a manager almost wept as you were told the bad news and quickly shown the front door.

I remember one day returning to my then publishing company, at a time of the recession of the early 1990s, after a visit to a boiler company, followed by a pleasant lunch with the PR and a mellow drive back to the office. As I walked in a colleague was passing by. “Anything much happen today?” I asked casually. His expression has remained with me. “That must be the understatement of the year. Half of us were made redundant.” These had included my assistant. Even though the magazine was profitable, some accountant had decided to chop and chop again.

As the shock of this news was sinking in, my publisher said: “Mike, I’ve been told by the directors to tell you that your job is safe but if you don’t like what’s happened, just leave your car keys on the table and go.” I tried to help my assistant, stating in a memo to management all the reasons why he should be saved. The subsequent meeting with the directors didn’t go down well and in the end I was told: “You’re nothing more than a whingeing, whining journalist and if you don’t like it in this company, just go.” And in my own time, that’s precisely what I did.

But surely there must be a more humane way of dealing with this? Last month the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) held a seminar where the subject of how to deal with redundancy was considered. Attended by 60 people, both employers and staff who were going through the process, it promoted how best to come to terms with the redundancy procedure from both sides. CIOB found that the response was an encouraging one and may plan more seminars.

In our industry we hear of a frightening level of lay-offs and closures. Systems companies and fabricators are experiencing a horrendous time and it’s easy for management to snap when the alternative to sacrificing some jobs might be a complete shutdown. What they have to realise is that they are dealing with people who have a right to be treated sensitively and respectfully.