Made Redundant: Practical Steps and a Way Forward

Redundancy can be like an earthquake. One minute you are on stable ground, then it shifts and hits you like a shock wave. That’s how it felt for me. That one email, that meeting, that sinking feeling your future has been ripped from under you, like the proverbial rug. Logically, you know it’s not personal, but it hurts a lot. There’s the loss of income, loss of routine, certainty, identity, and confidence. You question not just what’s next, but who you are without the role.

If you’ve recently faced redundancy or are unhappy in your current job, your career is far from over; it’s just that another path has opened up for you. This is not the end.

• You don’t have to do anything straight away
• You don’t need to make plans
• You don’t need to feel positive

What you need to do right now is to pause and take time out, and be kind to yourself.

Redundancy is a shock, not a verdict. When you get told your position is made redundant, it’s hard not to take it personally. It triggers self-doubt and makes you question your ability, whether you missed something or ask what else could I have done?

Redundancy is a business decision, driven by restructuring (as it was in my case), budgetary outcomes, or priorities that go beyond individual performance. This is what you must remember: it’s not a judgement on your worth, your skills, or your potential. Yes, it is hard to disassociate from feeling persecuted, and that’s how I felt, but it is not a reflection on you.

The fact is that your career hasn’t ended. One role has.

This is not the time to rush into anything. I gave myself time to pause and reflect. I didn’t start applying for jobs right away. I worked out how much time the redundancy gave me and used the distance to pause. And that’s okay.

Focus on the immediate. Avoiding being anxious about what’s next is crucial. Don’t make rash decisions; this could lead to burnout and heighten self-doubt. You don’t need to prove yourself to anyone but you.

Give yourself permission to pause. You are not giving up, but allowing yourself to settle and steady yourself to think clearly and make centred decisions. Take a few days, weeks, or a month if you can, which will help towards taking the next steps in a calmer and more deliberate frame of mind.

This stage is about grounding, not momentum. I took stress leave before deciding. This gave me the grounding I needed to adjust and reframe my position. You need to feel safe enough to stand still before you move forward.

This is what I did:

• Talked to family about what happened and framed my decision. Choose someone you trust to talk things through.
• I rested. I went for walks. Read books. Spent time in the garden. This helped relieve stress. You may have other strategies that work for you.
• I wrote about how I felt, the issues I was facing, and what to do next. By doing this, I could break free from being stuck in my mind.
• I allowed myself to feel disappointed, angry, numb, and hurt. This is normal.

In my heart, I knew I didn’t enjoy teaching anymore, and it was time for me to leave. I didn’t because of the steady income. I felt sad my teaching career was over, but that was okay. You are entitled to grieve over a job. Give yourself permission to do so, even if you didn’t love it or were planning to leave.

Here’s something I’ve realised. I now see my redundancy as a gift. Not because it was easy, but it helped me gain clarity about what I really wanted to do. This will happen for you too. Not today. Not next week. But eventually. Today, your only job is to steady yourself. The rest will come—step by step.

Simple Checklist: What to Do First After Redundancy
(This is not a to-do list to rush through — it’s a grounding guide.)

In the first few days

• Take a pause before making big decisions
• Get rest — emotional shock is exhausting
• Talk to someone you trust about what’s happened
• Write down your immediate concerns to get them out of your head

Stabilise, don’t sprint

• Avoid panic-applying for jobs immediately
• Avoid rewriting your entire career story overnight
• Remind yourself: This is not a personal failure

Create a sense of control

• Keep a simple notebook or document for thoughts, tasks, and questions
• Focus on what you can control this week, not the whole future
• Treat yourself with the same kindness you’d offer a friend

---

This is the beginning of a process, not the end of your career. For now, steady ground is enough.

career change, checklist, redundancy