When you’re made redundant from a law firm you know that the firm will do everything it can to stick to its standard financial package. But people are succeeding in getting extras thrown in. The trick is to be imaginative and use every negotiating skill in the book – in the heat of redundancy it can be easy to forget that this is no different from negotiating for a client. Here are some of the things people have negotiated:
1. Better outplacement counselling package
Your firm may offer careers counselling as standard but is it the best package? Find out exactly what you’ll be getting and compare this to other packages the consultant offers – for example a senior management package may offer valuable extra months of support.
2. Extended firm benefits
If you were working your notice period, the firm would continue your benefits including health insurance and pension contributions throughout. Payment in lieu of notice shouldn’t affect this – ask for your benefits to be extended until at least the end of your notice period or included as part of your enhanced payment. Think of other firm benefits you can use – for example throwing in annual travel insurance will cost the firm very little.
3. Subsidised travel
If you have a season ticket loan ask for the balance to be waived. If you don’t have a loan talk up the cost of going to interviews and ask for an amount to cover travelcards for the next couple of months.
4. National Insurance contributions
If you think you’re going to make voluntary National Insurance contributions (check this out at The Pension Service (www.thepensionservice.gov.uk)) ask for a sum to cover these for at least your notice period.
5. IT equipment
Your firm might be reluctant to let you keep your laptop, Blackberry and mobile but they may have old equipment going spare.
And some of the more unusual ones:
6. Free Stationery
Ask if you can help yourself to a few items from the stationery cupboard.
7. Cold weather payment
A payment to reflect the extra heating costs you’ll incur by being at home.
8. Dry cleaning costs
One individual asked his employer for the cost of dry cleaning his interview suits as he had worked in a ‘dress down’ environment for several months.
Louise Miles was recently made redundant from a top 20 firm.
Have you successfully negotiated these extras? What other things did you get? Share your tips below
Package
My firm let me buy my computer off them for £50 when I asked them (they bought it for far more). I made the point that with fewer people they need fewer computers and that it would have depreciated massively by the time the recession ends, and they could see I was talking sense.
Luke
6. Free Stationery
Ask if you can help yourself to a few items from the stationery cupboard.
So ridicules article!! If I was asked to leave, would you expect me to get some pens and note slips?!!
This articles as result of a guy his name (Luck). he is so incredible so called journalist!
Eh?
Joe the Plummer – good thing your trade doesn’t involve too much writing as your post is incomprehensible! What on earth does this mean?:
“This articles as result of a guy his name (Luck). he is so incredible so called journalist!”
Outplacement
As in most things in life you get what you pay for. In times likes these some firms will try to minimise their expenditure on outplacement. I believe organisations have a moral and social responsiblity to look after its former employees to ensure they make successful career transitons.
Furthermore helping former employees make successful career transitions will maintain their employer brand. Always ask for outplacement, ask the supplier to specify the amount of career coaching you are to be given. Remembering in this climate you will need up to 20 hours of one to one coaching to land a role or make a successful career transition. If offered outplacement aways take up the initial appointment.
lots of nice ideas
At the end of the day anything else that can be recieved/taken etc has got to be good, whilst there are jobs out there the market is tough so I’d take all the help I could get.
Outplacement Support
Some firms allow their employees to choose the provider of their outplacement support. At CareerBalance we offer an initial consultation at no charge if it is arranged through your employer. You can then decide if our approach and the consultant you meet suit your needs. We have two consultants who are both lawyers and have significant expertise in the legal sector.
Don’t ask? don’t get?
How about 8. Get a job as an investment banker with RBS get made redundant and get a £100K pay off from taxpayer’s money then sit at home for a month or two planning how to spend said windfall then get reemployed by said bank but don’t have to pay back said windfall as your job has changed ever so slightly so your original position not technically redundant! Then sapre a thought for the lawyers who have worked hard and just get their statutory entitlement.
Don’t bother asking
I am not sure if “blank eyed ignorance” is quite appropriate, especially given that if you run a google search using the terms “field grieb” and “law” you get….wait for it…..absolutely nothing! For a firm “punching above its weight”, it really has a VERY low profile. Even the most backwards of firms have websites these days. What “real world” do you live in?
Season ticket loans
The FSLA essay deadline is 30 April 2009 rather than 30 October 2009.