“Redundancy is a horrible word. It makes a tough situation feel even worse”
I’m really sorry you find yourself in this position. It’s rotten. There will be many people that tell you to see it as an opportunity, and that things will get better. They’re right, but this post isn’t here to tell you that. It’s here to offer practical advice.
There are many factors to consider if you’ve been made redundant. You and your well-being, your career and what happens next with it, and the oxygen of the situation, the elephant in the room… money.
In other blog posts on Food Service Circle you’ll see some tips on personal resilience for you to help yourself stay mentally sharp and positive. There are posts to help you stand out when applying for other jobs, and some useful suggestions on how to highlight your transferable skills if you need to look outside of the hospitality sector.
This post is designed to point you in the right direction to help you get your finances in order, and it also shares some websites that can help you to do something meaningful and worthwhile while you search for your next role.
Financial uncertainty can be a crippling source of anxiety, and while the money side of things may not be as healthy as it was pre-Covid, it’s good for you to have a clear picture of your situation, to know where you stand and to know that you are doing all the right things.
You may already be all over this, but if this is your first time on the Universal Credit Carousel, it’s a pain, and it helps to have some support and advice to navigate the complexity.
Citizens Advice (CitA) is a well-known, but often misunderstood charity. Many people think it is a national organisation funded by central government, when it is actually a network of local independent charities designed to help local communities. It’s a bit like a franchise network benefiting from a national presence, but most of the time, the support you receive will be specifically local to you.
CitA can help you navigate your Universal Credit application. They can support many other areas too, debt, housing and mental health to name a few. Most of the time they don’t tell you what to do, they just help you understand what is available to you and how to get the best outcome. If you are considering applying for UC or just want to know more about it, follow the link below. You’ll be glad you did. Once there, you can move around the site for other support you may need.
https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/helptoclaim/
As well as getting your money situation clarified, you need to keep busy. Have you thought about volunteering in your local community?
There are two excellent sites to help people find opportunities. They can be found here.
https://volunteering.royalvoluntaryservice.org.uk/volunteer-search
https://do-it.org/opportunities/search
Being clear about your financial position will help you feel better in yourself. If you have the time and inclination to volunteer, your community will benefit, and so will you.
Both of these actions will help you perform better at interview and give you a better chance of securing your next role more quickly.
We are here to support you. Thanks for reading, and if you’d like to know more, click here. If there is enough interest, we’ll share some more resources.
Jeremy
Graysons.
