Four tips for navigating redundancy as a Christian

As she had been praying for me, an image had popped into her mind – drooping sunflowers trying to put down roots inside a vase. That’s the wrong place! she thought. Then she saw hands lifting the flowers out and planting them in soil where they began to flourish.

I thanked her and let her know it didn’t have any significance for me yet, but that I would keep my eyes open.

Three days later, while I was working from home, my head of department called to let me know that my job was at risk of redundancy.

Sponsored

“Oh,” I said.

Unsure what else to say, I listened as he explained the next steps – the official letter he would send, the formal discussions we would need to have and so on.

Later I would describe it as ​“a shock but not a surprise”. It wasn’t that I knew it was coming, but God had kindly prepared me. He was in control. That’s true even if you don’t get a prophetic picture.

Despite that assurance, I was hurt. My job was at a Christian charity where I had been working for more than six years. I loved my work, the cause and my colleagues. What should I do? Like many Christians, I find it easier to pray consistently in times of crisis. I found my husband and we prayed together.

During the months that followed I was sometimes angry, sometimes calm. I was fearful and confident, grieving and hopeful. I wanted to treat it as an opportunity to put my faith into practice – without pretending to be happier than I was. Here are some of the things I learnt.

1. Take the time to know your rights

Asserting your rights might feel contrary to the call to ​“value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests” (Philippians 2:3 – 4). But holding your employer accountable is an act of service to anyone who has to navigate this situation after you; employment laws exist to protect people from mistreatment.

Knowing your rights can also help you to relate better to the people around you as you make informed and intentional decisions. Many organisations will allow you to bring someone with you to redundancy meetings. The right person can be a source of wisdom and comfort during a challenging time, so take time to choose wisely. Your closest friend at work might be the best choice, or you might choose someone you know less well who has valuable skills or insight.

It just so happened that in the months before I was made redundant, I was mentored by a colleague who had experience on both sides of the redundancy process and had also been a trade union representative. At a time when my confidence was under pressure, he was a cheerleader, advocate and friend.

2. Consider the power you have

Being made redundant can leave you feeling powerless. But as Paul reminded Timothy, ​“the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline”. We may not be suffering for the gospel in the same ways they were, but we too are ​“called to live a holy life” whatever our circumstances (2 Timothy 1:7 – 9).

Besides my sister’s prayer, another reason my redundancy wasn’t a complete surprise was that another member of my team had been made redundant a couple of years before. I knew it could happen to anyone, even if you were doing a good job.

I was grateful for some of the ways this colleague had handled redundancy, sharing what was happening and even sending copies of meeting minutes to all the members of our team. That level of openness isn’t right for everyone, but her transparency made things less daunting for me two years later. She also exercised her right to appeal, which often prompts organisations to review their processes.

I knew that the way I engaged with the redundancy process also had the potential to impact others, so I prepared carefully for each meeting, writing down questions and asking trusted people for their counsel and prayers.

3. Pray for the people making you redundant

“You’re being so gracious,” some colleagues told me. ​“You’re handling it so well.”

Well, that’s just great, I thought – ungraciously. I’ll just add ​‘excellent at being made redundant’ to my CV.

Handling redundancy well doesn’t pay the bills. But as the writer of Ephesians says, ​“Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free” (Ephesians 6:7 – 8).

It was tempting to imagine myself as a tragic hero and do good for the sake of my image. Remembering God’s goodness was a helpful antidote. ​“The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). Whether your temptation is towards anger, pride or self-pity, take as much comfort as you can from knowing God cares for you.

One way to guard against bitterness was to pray for my colleagues – especially the person responsible for my redundancy. Who is my neighbour right now? I thought. Jesus’ parable (Luke 10:25 – 37) challenges us to care even for our enemies. Although the situation had put us in opposition, the person making me redundant was not my enemy. He was a brother in Christ, and Jesus was calling me to love him. You might disagree. You might not get the outcome you want. Practise grace anyway – as best you can.

4. Watch for what God will do

After Gareth Russell went through a difficult redundancy process earlier in his career, he and his wife set up their communications agency Jersey Road.

Today, Jersey Road has 23 staff and works in the UK, Australia and the US. Unfortunately, there have been times in the past 15 years where Gareth has needed to make a small number of employees redundant. ​“Although I have not been perfect, having gone through redundancy myself I have tried to apply some of what I learned to make the process a little less traumatic for those colleagues,” he says.

Romans 8:28 says, ​“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” Another possible translation is “…that in all things God works together with those who love Him to bring about what is good…” During the redundancy process, the first translation helped me to recognise that God could turn a painful situation into a fruitful one, and the second helped me to maintain a sense of my own agency, knowing that I can choose to live in obedience to Jesus when circumstances are out of my control.