Let’s talk about exiting!
We need to talk about exiting and how people are exiting organisations. I’m not talking about people leaving to go to do other jobs/things, which often involves excitement, wishes of good luck, a leaving do and sometimes presents. Nor am I talking about redundancy exercises – either voluntary or compulsory, because they are managed by pretty clear rules and criteria. What we need to bring out of the dark is my perception of the growing number of people, who are leaving their jobs unexpectedly or suddenly go off sick and never return.
It is only a perception and everything I say is anecdotal because many of these exits come with settlement agreements which means that neither party can discuss the situation publicly – so data is virtually impossible to get. But over the last two years, it seems like this has now become an increasing ‘thing’ in HE and I want to talk about it. Having spoken to quite a large number of women who have been exited and supported another quite large number of women through the process, the damage it does to confidence and career prospects is alarming and there are the obvious financial implications.
Why do I think it’s happening? I think restructuring and/or performance management in HE is necessarily a lengthy process if it’s done right. So, what I am hearing and seeing are organisations seeking to circumvent those processes by either making ‘without prejudice’ offers or creating a situation that is so unpleasant that people are asking for ‘without prejudice’ conversations or taken retirement earlier than planned. Either way, it’s unpleasant, often unexpected, causes huge damage to morale and confidence and is, ultimately, expensive.
However, it happens. So, what might you do if you find yourself in a situation where you might be considering exiting or become aware that you are being exited?
1. Take control. It’s tough enough without thinking that you have no power in the situation. Someone from a HR department once said to me that the person being exited has all the power – remember that! You can choose not to go meaning the organisation either has to increase the settlement offer or start the performance management or redundancy process. Make sure you know your HR procedures and can point out when they are not being followed as most universities will actively avoid going to an Employment Tribunal. Ask for evidence to support any claims being made about your performance and chase up promised information relentlessly. If you feel that you are in control it becomes much easier to deal with the inevitable blow to your confidence.
2. Don’t expect your lawyer to be of much help unless you are prepared to pay for their advice. The money that University’s offer in settlements for lawyer’s fees will only cover the cost of them looking at the settlement agreement. Anything else, such as advice on whether you should consider going to Tribunal will come with extra costs.
3. Write your own reference and get it included in the settlement contract. You can’t stop the informal phone call back to your previous employer, but what is formally sent should be what has been agreed.
4. Get a decent CV and if necessary, pay to get a CV writer to look at it. Academic CVs traditionally underplay the skills and abilities that people have and even when they don’t, we are often conservative in the way we describe things. A CV writer won’t be.
5. Find a cover story that works for you publicly, particularly with future employers. The situation is ultimately unfair and your pals need to know that, but for legal and professional purposes, it shouldn’t be for public consumption (which is the main reason why data on this is so hard to find). This is also important if you are going to reach out to your networks for future opportunities – which of course you should do as soon as you feel able.
Finally, take time to recover. Your settlement should fund time for you to consider your options. Don’t underestimate how tough it is to be exited – even if it was on your own terms. Everyone I have spoken to has done something nice with a bit of their settlement money and have considered this to be part of the healing process. It’s worth a thought!
So, if you find yourself in this situation, know that there is a good life waiting for you and every good luck in your new ventures.
November 2022
Leigh is a Women-Space Associate and is currently interim Dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Roehampton. You will find more about her here.