Making redundancy work

Within a week of joining the theatre team at Arts Council England (ACE) North West, I was informed that as a result of an impending organisational review, I was probably going to be made redundant within 18 months. As it turned out I managed to stay with the organisation for two years before I was finally made redundant in the summer of 2010. Having spent many years leaving jobs when it suited me, it was the first time that the decision about how and when I would leave a job was made by someone else. Apparently, according to consultants who specialise in working with employees who are made redundant, some people on being told that they face redundancy, experience a rush of extreme emotions, ranging from almost suicidal despair to profound euphoria, usually in the hope that something or somebody will reverse or temporarily delay the decision. On finally being told by ACE that I was being made redundant, I experienced a feeling somewhere between the two. It is has to be said that at a regional level, ACE managed the situation pretty well and although I was genuinely disappointed to have to leave the organisation, they did make it possible for me to work part-time so that I could begin acquiring freelance work before I left.

I have undertaken freelance work before, when I have been between jobs or when I wanted to take my career in a new direction. My current spell as a freelancer is the longest yet and I have happily come to terms with the fact that I am likely, given the state of the economy, to be in this position for some time. My first piece of advice to anyone facing redundancy is to simply accept the situation. Susan, my wife, is a yoga teacher and I guess some of her philosophy has rubbed off on me. I’m not a yogi but I found that the only way I could move forward from being made redundant was to view it as an opportunity to both embrace new opportunities and also consider how best to take ownership of my career and personal life. As a result I have surprised myself and those who know me, by stepping out of my comfort zone and undertaking wide-ranging freelance work that has seen me during the last few months switching between both the commercial and subsidised sectors.

My second piece of advice in light of this is to be adaptable and open to all offers of work. I now describe myself as Development Manager, and by so doing am able to offer a variety of services to clients ranging from event management, fund raising, marketing and company development, drawing on skills and experience from throughout my career. Having taught in my mid twenties, I’ve also returned to leading drama and theatre-based workshops. In doing this I have rediscovered a part of my career that I had thought closed and am now enjoying revisiting again. This brings me to another piece of advice: don’t limit your opportunities by concentrating on your most recent employment and using only one CV. Instead, invest sometime in writing CVs to demonstrate the different skills sets that you are able to offer. It’s quite a liberating experience doing so and is also great for your self-esteem, especially at a time when you really need to feel positive about yourself and the future.

A lifeline that I’ve drawn heavily on and which I offer as my final piece of advice is to use and maximise contacts and networks. I’m a great believer in networks and my experience of the past 12 months has confirmed and strengthened this view. Of the clients that I am currently working for, only one has been obtained by replying to an advert. Redundancy is a real opportunity to revisit those who in the past you have enjoyed working with and also to approach those you have long aspired to work for. Since being made redundant I have been extremely fortunate to receive work from organisations that fit in to both of these categories.

There is no magical formula or golden rule to finding work after redundancy other than to explore every avenue that is open to you. This may involve a complete change of career and life style but as daunting as it undoubtedly is, redundancy is as much about giving yourself the opportunity to feel proud of who you are and focus on what you want to become.