People are still highly secretive on the topic of redundancy according to a new survey of over 1,400 UK adults undertaken by Scotcareers.
Of those surveyed 49 per cent only talk about redundancy with people they are close with, and 8 per cent say they would actively keep it a secret from everyone. Some of the most popular reasons for this secrecy include privacy (47 per cent), embarrassment (24 per cent) and not wanting to feel judged (21 per cent).
This reluctance to talk about redundancy openly means that people who have not experienced it first-hand have little understanding of the procedures and their rights during the process. The survey reveals that 63 per cent of people do not fully understand the process of redundancy and 79 per cent do not know all the benefits financially they would be entitled to.
The survey asks people how long they think they could survive financially if they were to be made redundant. Of those surveyed, 62 per cent feel they could survive for between one to six months, with the most popular response being three to four months (23 per cent).
Positively, 36 per cent of people surveyed feel they could survive for more than six months. Although perceptions of financial survival varied, just 2 per cent of respondents say they could survive less than a month.
The survey also looked at how long people thought it would take to find a new job if they were made redundant. A third of those surveyed think it would take them just one to two months to find a new job, and 74 per cent are confident they would find a new job within six months.
A small proportion (6 per cent) of those surveyed were less confident about their prospects, feeling they would never find a new job if they were made redundant.
Mike Hartley, commercial director at Scotcareers comments, ‘Redundancy has become a major focus for Scotcareers due to volatility in certain industries and because it is not often represented frankly in a way that is helpful.
‘We wanted to find out what the perceptions were and what people actually knew about their rights so that we could tackle the questions people want answered, without them feeling that their privacy is being compromised. It’s important that expert advice is made available to everyone to help steer them through their post-redundancy journey and job search.’
Further reading on redundancy
