Redundancy Is A Harsh Fact Of Life
Redundancy is a noun meaning a state of being superfluous, especially in one’s job. In contemporary culture mention of the word is likely to bring a frown to the face because it is a threat to job security. In large organizations the ebb and flow of economic activity can cause people to be considered superfluous at any time resulting in the thunderbolt of being told that one is redundant.
Being named as being superfluous to requirements is demeaning. When the news gets out it is humiliating because one’s peers are deemed more useful and better at their work. People are taken back to their school days, when they earnestly perused team lists, hoping and sometimes failing, to find their name.
It may be a moot point whether the psychological or the financial implications are more damaging in the case of redundancies. Being declared superfluous is the sort of psychological event that can diminish confidence and make the search for alternative employment more difficult. In addition the loss of income can become a worrying issue.
Legislation is in place to protect workers in many cases. Employers who find that they are employing more people than is profitable cannot simply fire them without adequate compensation. This may alleviate some problems for workers but it can be detrimental to the economy as a whole. Consequently it may be more difficult for those who have been discarded.
Companies and organizations that operate in countries where firing is easy are frequently more ready to offer new employment opportunities when conditions improve. This can make it much easier for workers who have been laid off to find alternative opportunities.
The psychological effect of being declared superfluous may be alleviated by the reflection that superfluity is woven into the fabric of life on earth. Plants produce millions of seeds, most of which will in effect be redundant. The same phenomenon is apparent in animal and insect life. The word is also widely used in fields such as engineering and information technology where items in machinery or systems may become superfluous. This phenomenon of life may help some people come to terms with their own place in the scheme of things.
In language, redundancy is also an issue. Faced with a tautology like, ‘small little…’ an editor is in a similar position to a HR professional. He must decide which one of the two he must cancel without compunction or explanation in the interests of the whole text. ‘Small’ and ‘little’ are both good words. Wherever the ax falls the deleted word must face the future courageously, looking for a position where it can be useful, comfortable and indispensable.
| Redundancy Is A Harsh Fact Of Life | ||
| Redundancy is one of the harsh facts of life. The word can bring shudders to many people who work in large organizations, especially when economies are faltering. Declining business flows can make some workers superfluous through not fault of their own. When rumors start circulating many workers wait with trepidation for an ominous pink slip or email message to appear. | ||
| Being named as being superfluous to requirements is demeaning. When the news gets out it is humiliating because one’s peers are deemed more useful and better at their work. People are taken back to their school days, when they earnestly perused team lists, hoping and sometimes failing, to find their name. | ||
| A declaration of redundancy can involve much more than a psychological setback. The practical problem of finding alternative employment can be exacerbated by diminished confidence and, in hard times, a scarcity of opportunities. Added to these difficulties may be the difficulties of making ends meet on a reduced income. | ||
| In socialist inclined states there are laws that prevent employers from declaring workers redundant without adequate compensation. This lessens the effects of people being laid off but an unfortunate side effect is the unwillingness of employers to take on permanent workers in the first place. Alternative job opportunities may be scarce. | ||
| They rely instead on temporary or part time workers and this makes for difficulties when redundant workers seek alternative jobs. They may be scarce. However, in countries where it is easy to fire people there is frequently a more fluid supply of new jobs making it easier for those declared redundant to find new opportunities. | ||
| The psychological effect of being declared superfluous may be alleviated by the reflection that superfluity is woven into the fabric of life on earth. Plants produce millions of seeds, most of which will in effect be redundant. The same phenomenon is apparent in animal and insect life. The word is also widely used in fields such as engineering and information technology where items in machinery or systems may become superfluous. This phenomenon of life may help some people come to terms with their own place in the scheme of things. | ||
| In language, redundancy is also an issue. Faced with a tautology like, ‘small little…’ an editor is in a similar position to a HR professional. He must decide which one of the two he must cancel without compunction or explanation in the interests of the whole text. ‘Small’ and ‘little’ are both good words. Wherever the ax falls the deleted word must face the future courageously, looking for a position where it can be useful, comfortable and indispensable. |