You've been made redundant? Let's separate you from the job

CREATED BY DAVE CORDLE Published: 08/01/2026 @ 09:01AM #beenmaderedundant #redundancy #careers #jobsearch #wellbeingatwork #ukemployment

If you've been made redundant, it can feel personal, but it isn't. The role has gone, not your strengths, experience or future. Let's reset the story and get you steady, practical and moving again ...

If you've been made redundant there's a new future to discover!

You hear the words, and your stomach drops: you've been made redundant. It sounds like a judgment on you, as if you've been assessed, found lacking, and removed. Yet redundancy is a business decision about a role, a structure, or a budget line, not a verdict on your character or capability.

You can feel shaken and still be perfectly competent!

That's not a contradiction; it's a normal response to uncertainty. The useful shift is this: the job has been made redundant, and you are leaving with every skill you built, every strength you've proved, and every personal quality that helped you succeed. They didn't get 'taken away' in the exit interview; they are still yours, intact.

When you say you've been made redundant, your brain often fills in the gaps with unhelpful conclusions. You start rewriting your own story as if the ending has already been decided. It hasn't. A role can disappear because of a merger, a restructure, automation, a change in strategy, or a simple reduction in headcount, and none of that automatically speaks to your value in the job market.

Once you make that distinction, you can start thinking clearly again. Clear thinking is what helps you ask the right questions and protect yourself, especially around your notice period, and how redundancy pay is calculated. The practical details matter because they buy you time, reduce panic, and give you control over the next steps.

It's also worth noticing how language shapes your mood. If you keep telling yourself "Oh no! I've been made redundant" in the same way someone might say they've been “rejected” by a romantic partner, you're likely to carry shame into every conversation, application, and interview. If you remind yourself that your position has ended and you are still a very capable professional, you show up differently: steadier, more direct, and more persuasive.

You may also need a reality check about money, and you deserve one that is calm rather than panicked and catastrophic. Redundancy pay, any accrued holiday, and your notice period can create a runway, even if it's shorter than you'd like. If you're eligible, jobseekers allowance can also help while you regroup; it's not a label, it's a bridge.

If something about the process feels off, take
that seriously, without spiralling!

Most employers aim to follow the rules, but mistakes do happen, and occasionally corners get cut. If you believe the consultation was flawed, the selection unfair, or your rights ignored, it can be sensible to explore options and timelines, including whether an employment tribunal is relevant, while keeping your focus on rebuilding your work future rather than living in the past of a grievance.

Now for the part that changes outcomes: you need a plan that treats this as a transition, not your identity. You've been made redundant in a job title, not in your competence, judgment, or potential. Your next role is far more likely to come from a clear narrative of what you do well, evidence of results, and a targeted approach, than from frantic applications fired into the void.

You can start by taking stock in a structured way. What problems do you reliably solve, what strengths do people consistently notice, and what achievements prove it? When you speak from that foundation, you stop auditioning for approval and start presenting a business case: here is what you can deliver, here is how you work, here is where you fit.

This experience can still sting, and you don't have to pretend otherwise. But you can be strategic at the same time as you're human, and you can let the facts guide you back to steadiness.

You've been made redundant, yes, yet you're still moving forward with your skills, your strengths, and your value fully in your possession.

Remember that, and don't spiral!

Until next time ...

DAVE CORDLE
Career Development Professional

07941 690 391

www.davecordle.co.uk / www.linkedin.com/in/davecordle

Everything you need for your career:  www.davecordle.co.uk/basecamp

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About Dave Cordle ...
I began my professional life training as a cartographer with the Directorate of Overseas Surveys, a department of the British government. I made maps of places such as Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Sudan and the British Virgin Islands. It was a fascinating time, being involved in planning the flights for aerial photography, interpreting the photographs and eventually producing the plates for the different layers of the final map. It was during my latter years as a cartographer and my career in computing that I undertook bigger mountaineering expeditions to the Andes, the Himalayas, the Tien Shan and the Caucasus. At that time I also held various leadership roles in scouting. I coached and trained young people successfully leading them to develop themselves and embrace new experiences. So that’s where my passion comes from to help young people learn the strategies for success that I share with my business and career clients. My journey in personal professional development and coaching has been amazing, and will continue to be so: it’s why I’m here, it’s my big passion. It’s what has informed my vision and mission. However unlikely your dream might seem, if you keep taking steps towards it, even small steps, you may well just surprise yourself.

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