Nic, I’m so glad it’s not a bone fracture! Hope the healing continues to go well, even when it’s boring.
Today’s newsletter… oof. Thank you. I found out a few days ago that I (and almost 200 other people in my company) are at risk of redundancy, and in my immediate team it will come down to a selection process to see who stays. Just before Christmas too. As with so much of capitalism: fuck all of that.
Since then, I’ve been trying with others to find counter-proposals and solutions to save jobs where we can. It feels well worth the time and energy, even if the company are unlikely to agree to any of them. One option I've thought of, which the union thinks might work, would be for me and another colleague to do a job share.
The prospect of halving my (currently full-time) income is scary, but far less terrifying than the idea of losing it all. And I hate the thought of one of my colleagues losing their jobs. I’ve known all of them for years and the job market for our industry is pretty dire right now.
I’ve been working out my finances - the very definition of how much money is enough. The job share would cover my bills, but not leave any money for savings, and I only have a small savings pot to begin with (there’s about two months of essential spending money in it). I’d need to get another part time job, probably a local, minimum wage one, to make things less risky. I have my partner to factor in too and what he thinks: we keep our finances pretty separate, but this might impact on our future dream of having a little house with a garden. On the other hand, I’d been planning on dropping down to four days a week in the new year anyway, for some more rest and that elusive work-life balance.
But I just keep coming back to: if one of my colleagues is selected for redundancy, doing a job share could save their job, mean they keep half their income and help their peace of mind. It’s what I would love for someone to offer me, if I’m the one who’s selected. That feels huge. That feels like a good impact to have on the world. (And I’m generalising, of course: for some people choosing redundancy over a job share, due to the redundancy payout, might be the better option.)
My gut tells me choosing to job share is a good decision, but my brain (possibly capitalism/my mother’s voice, if I’m really honest) is telling me to cling on to my money if I can and other people are not my responsibility, so not to stick my neck out. So… what do I do? I think I want reassurance that although this is not necessarily a ‘sensible’ decision, it is a valid one!
Nic, I’m so glad it’s not a bone fracture! Hope the healing continues to go well, even when it’s boring. Today’s newsletter… oof. Thank you. I found out a few days ago that I (and almost 200 other people in my company) are at risk of redundancy, and in my immediate team it will come down to a selection process to see who stays. Just before Christmas too. As with so much of capitalism: fuck all of that. Since then, I’ve been trying with others to find counter-proposals and solutions to save jobs where we can. It feels well worth the time and energy, even if the company are unlikely to agree to any of them. One option I've thought of, which the union thinks might work, would be for me and another colleague to do a job share. The prospect of halving my (currently full-time) income is scary, but far less terrifying than the idea of losing it all. And I hate the thought of one of my colleagues losing their jobs. I’ve known all of them for years and the job market for our industry is pretty dire right now. I’ve been working out my finances - the very definition of how much money is enough. The job share would cover my bills, but not leave any money for savings, and I only have a small savings pot to begin with (there’s about two months of essential spending money in it). I’d need to get another part time job, probably a local, minimum wage one, to make things less risky. I have my partner to factor in too and what he thinks: we keep our finances pretty separate, but this might impact on our future dream of having a little house with a garden. On the other hand, I’d been planning on dropping down to four days a week in the new year anyway, for some more rest and that elusive work-life balance. But I just keep coming back to: if one of my colleagues is selected for redundancy, doing a job share could save their job, mean they keep half their income and help their peace of mind. It’s what I would love for someone to offer me, if I’m the one who’s selected. That feels huge. That feels like a good impact to have on the world. (And I’m generalising, of course: for some people choosing redundancy over a job share, due to the redundancy payout, might be the better option.) My gut tells me choosing to job share is a good decision, but my brain (possibly capitalism/my mother’s voice, if I’m really honest) is telling me to cling on to my money if I can and other people are not my responsibility, so not to stick my neck out. So… what do I do? I think I want reassurance that although this is not necessarily a ‘sensible’ decision, it is a valid one!