Employment support during a workplace restructure
University lecturer and optometry teacher, Jack's story
What happened
Jack (not his real name) had been at his place of work for 19 years, when he was invited to what he thought was a regular catch up meeting with his line manager. When he arrived the Head of HR was also present and Jack was advised that the meeting would be 'a different meeting than usual'. He was told he was a poor fit in his team and his manager had no confidence in his ability. Jack had previously received positive feedback and been told by his line reports that he was the best line manager they had ever had.
Jack was told by his line manager and the Head of HR that he was on 'informal' performance management and that he should find a new role in the University. Shortly after this meeting, Jack got in touch with the AOP legal team and was assisted by one of our employment lawyers.
How we helped
Over the following six months, Jack was supported by one of the AOP's employment lawyers, through regular emails, phone conversations, and assistance with performance management meetings and the preparation of letters.
The outcome
At the end of this period there was a restructure at Jack's workplace and the AOP's employment lawyer assisted in drawing up his settlement agreement. Jack was offered, and accepted, six months gardening leave and voluntary redundancy.