My Dad was made redundant after 35 years in the same company

Danger781

Hello all,

As the title states my Dad was made redundant a number of weeks ago from Tesco. I'm sure a number of you heard about / read about the controversy surrounding how this was handled. After 35 years of loyalty he has been made redundant and is now on the hunt for a new job.

His official title would have been a shop assistant but in reality he was more-or-less the manager of the off-license section without the official title. However, we're struggling to find any online job postings that he is qualified for. Perhaps we are abiding by the list of requirements on adverts too strictly (Certifications, Degree, certain experience etc.). He would be open to trying anything and I know he would succeed at whatever he was asked to do.

He has seen a few supervisor positions on LinkedIn, Monster, etc. and has applied for one or two, but our concern is that some of them require certain certifications and experience in similar roles - Neither of which he really possesses. With the years of experience under his belt he would no doubt fit comfortably into the role but I am concerned that people will not consider him due to his CV not meeting the requirements.

That said he would be open to anything. He was discussing the possibility of taking up a training coordinator position but that fell through. I had referred him to a job within the company where I work which would have been a customer service role but I feel he was ruled out due to not having a college degree.

What sort of role can a man in his 50s with 30+ years of retail / customer service experience look for? Where should we be looking?

eeguy

Are there any relevant FAS courses?

Just so he has a piece of paper as well as all the experience?

Atlantic Dawn

Perhaps look on the websites of large chain off licences and independent off licences in the area, some may be opening new branches or might have vacancies for experienced staff.

Danger781

eeguy wrote: »

Are there any relevant FAS courses?

Just so he has a piece of paper as well as all the experience?

Possibly - He had a meeting with someone in the welfare office who gave him a booklet with a list of courses and there was one geared towards becoming a manufacturing supervisor. All the others were more IT / Manual labour based so this was the only that stood out.

Wasn't FAS I think, but will still get a certification from it. Don't have the booklet on hand to check.

Tigger

Danger781 wrote: »

Hello all,

As the title states my Dad was made redundant a number of weeks ago from Tesco. I'm sure a number of you heard about / read about the controversy surrounding how this was handled. After 35 years of loyalty he has been made redundant and is now on the hunt for a new job.

His official title would have been a shop assistant but in reality he was more-or-less the manager of the off-license section without the official title. However, we're struggling to find any online job postings that he is qualified for. Perhaps we are abiding by the list of requirements on adverts too strictly (Certifications, Degree, certain experience etc.). He would be open to trying anything and I know he would succeed at whatever he was asked to do.

He has seen a few supervisor positions on LinkedIn, Monster, etc. and has applied for one or two, but our concern is that some of them require certain certifications and experience in similar roles - Neither of which he really possesses. With the years of experience under his belt he would no doubt fit comfortably into the role but I am concerned that people will not consider him due to his CV not meeting the requirements.

That said he would be open to anything. He was discussing the possibility of taking up a training coordinator position but that fell through. I had referred him to a job within the company where I work which would have been a customer service role but I feel he was ruled out due to not having a college degree.

What sort of role can a man in his 50s with 30+ years of retail / customer service experience look for? Where should we be looking?

Was it voluntarily I thought they got rehired on different contracts

http://www.donegaldaily.com/2016/04/21/tesco-letterkenny-workers-choose-to-quit-after-generous-redundancy-offer/

Firstly, companies value experience in older people more than certifications. Never let that stop him applying for positions that he has the relevant experience for.
Age is a significant factor that could work against him but there are companies out there like b&q who look for older people who have the experience and customer service skills that young people just do not have.
So make sure his CV stands out and highlights all his experience and achievements.
It's is very tough but opportunities do come along. Best of luck to your Dad.

Danger781

Tigger wrote: »

Was it voluntarily

Technically, yes. It was redundancy or a new contract which stripped him of some benefits, had reduced pay, and unpredictable hours.

Senna

Your father's CV needs a very strong opening synopsis detailing supervisor level experience. Seen it will be sparse on employment history, I would have tesco, dates, long list of duties, don't bother with a job title at all.

Never lie on a cv but always tailor it to the details you want out there, fudge over things that realistically are not relevant, your father's title being different from his actually duties is a great example.

I would also target positions where manager and supervisor positions are available, apply for the management position with the usual tag line "other positions". This does work, especially in busineses where HR aren't as involved.

It's all about getting to the interview stage, then it's all up to him.

I used to work in dunnes about 10 years ago.

I remember being told that Dunnes will not give a staff member a reference simply because the managers change, the staff change, and the staff turnover is quite high. I was told by HR that, at a push, they would just confirm dates you started and ended employment with them.

Would this be true of Tesco? Could you give your dad a more apt job title, and if a prospective employer rings tesco to ask, they'd take the Dunnes approach and simply say "X worked for Tesco from January 1995 to February 2010" (makey-uppy dates).


Or do what a friend of mine did before when he was in a similar situation. He picked a business that recently closed it's doors, and put himself down as working there in a position he felt he could do. In order to accomodate it, he just cut short his actual job.

So in your case, say your dad left tesco in 2013, and worked as a store manager or whatever the case may be, in the Centra/O Briens/whatever that recently closed down (and can't provide a reference). Or pick a store that closed a while back and use it as a break in tesco (say he left tesco, did the manager job elsewhere and returned to tesco when the other place fell through).

My friend did get a job in a similar role (like your dad, my friend was practically completely running an entire store on his own, but was only a sales assistant on an official basis), but not sure if his creative CV helped much.


EDIT: Keep in mind, if you lie on the CV, and actually get the job, they will find out. You just have to hope it's after you've built a relationship with them. In most places i've ever worked it seems to be almost admired that someone put the lies down or exaggerated the truth to get the foot in the door. It's usually laughed off (unless it was a serious lie, like saying you're a qualified paramedic, and they find out when you accidentally kill someone.. but for most stuff it's grand i'd say).

jcd5971

Danger781 wrote:

His official title would have been a shop assistant but in reality he was more-or-less the manager of the off-license section without the official title. However, we're struggling to find any online job postings that he is qualified for. Perhaps we are abiding by the list of requirements on adverts too strictly (Certifications, Degree, certain experience etc.). He would be open to trying anything and I know he would succeed at whatever he was asked to do.

I was a manager in tesco for years moved on 2 years ago as did a lot of the managers as we got voluntary redundancy.

Now the not so nice to hear part. The vast majority of your dad's cohort of colleagues where referred to as the pre 96ers, and the vast majority of them where a terror to work with.

Retail management and supervisors are kind of word of mouth closed pool so to speak in Ireland to a large extent, and I know that I personally would never hire a pre 96 person ever and would advise anyone that asked me if they were hiring to not do so either.

This sounds really negative I'm sorry and I hate to be so generic about a whole group but it was a culture they reveled in.

it's a harsh truth and a lot of horror stories got spread about them.

My helpful advice is get as strong a cv as you can, contact recruitment agency's alot of retail places go through them for shortlists.
Even a meeting with a few recruiters could help with a good cv and interview tips and feedback etc.

Degrees and education are not as important as you think they are in retail unless your looking at Aldi or Lidl who do have requirements that are quite strict.

And good luck with it.

Wanderer2010

^ Wow you worked for 2 years as a supervisor and you make such an offensive, sweeping statement like "pre-96ers are a terror to work with". Back up that claim- what evidence do you have that this specific group of employees are so hard to work with? I was a boss for 3 years in a previous job and I can tell you right now that if you think older workers are difficult then you haven't worked with a broad enough group of workers. Both older and younger workers can seem ideal on paper then they abuse sick leave, make the same mistakes over and over, are disrespectful to customers and are generally a nightmare to deal with.

You cannot tar all workers with the one brush like that. My local Tesco has a lot of older workers who are a delight to speak to, they couldn't do enough to help you, greet you with a smile and make an effort to find something you need. In the very same Tesco at the lotto counter, there are a few young girls who wouldn't even lift their eyes from their phone when dealing with you then throw your item at you with a curt "Next", awful manners. You are talking out of your backside if you think "the majority" of pre-96 Tesco workers are a terror, or else you failed so bad at supervising you are projecting this here. Either way, your statement is false.

Mrs OBumble

^^ It's not about older.

It's about a specific contract that this cohort were on, that made them into a very special category of employees indeed.

jcd5971 has been very careful not to be offensive, while also pointing out the specific labour market challenge that the OPs father will face: it is a small country, people will know that he was on that particular type of contract. They may or may not make assumptions about his likely workplace behaviour based on that.

My advice would be to do a course and retrain as something else. Emphasise the customer service skills. Forget about the supervisory skills they're only relevant to someone looking to climb the corporate ladder, not one is going to believe that a 55+ person is looking for that.

Avatar MIA

Danger781 wrote: »

Technically, yes. It was redundancy or a new contract which stripped him of some benefits, had reduced pay, and unpredictable hours.

Which he'll likely not get in his new job either.

Judging by the above article he would have got the equivalent of approx 5 years of salary (taking taxation into account). Not bad at your dad's age.

Best of luck to him, hopefully he chose wisely.

St. Leibowitz

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

^ Wow you worked for 2 years as a supervisor and you make such an offensive, sweeping statement like "pre-96ers are a terror to work with". Back up that claim- what evidence do you have that this specific group of employees are so hard to work with? I was a boss for 3 years in a previous job and I can tell you right now that if you think older workers are difficult then you haven't worked with a broad enough group of workers. Both older and younger workers can seem ideal on paper then they abuse sick leave, make the same mistakes over and over, are disrespectful to customers and are generally a nightmare to deal with.

You cannot tar all workers with the one brush like that. My local Tesco has a lot of older workers who are a delight to speak to, they couldn't do enough to help you, greet you with a smile and make an effort to find something you need. In the very same Tesco at the lotto counter, there are a few young girls who wouldn't even lift their eyes from their phone when dealing with you then throw your item at you with a curt "Next", awful manners. You are talking out of your backside if you think "the majority" of pre-96 Tesco workers are a terror, or else you failed so bad at supervising you are projecting this here. Either way, your statement is false.

Did you even read the post, or just scan it and go running for the ladder to the high horse ??

Maybe step down, and the read the post, line by line. I too was annoyed by the post, but actually understand exactly what the poster was saying, and understood where they were coming from. Attacking the poster here is not on. Basic stuff like the poster saying they worked as a manager for years and moved on two years ago, which you interpret as working as a supervisor for two years makes me think you may have misunderstood other things in the post also.

Wanderer2010

St. Leibowitz wrote: »

Did you even read the post, or just scan it and go running for the ladder to the high horse ??

Maybe step down, and the read the post, line by line. I too was annoyed by the post, but actually understand exactly what the poster was saying, and understood where they were coming from. Attacking the poster here is not on. Basic stuff like the poster saying they worked as a manager for years and moved on two years ago, which you interpret as working as a supervisor for two years makes me think you may have misunderstood other things in the post also.

The poster very clearly stated that a specific group of people "pre-96 Tesco workers" were a terror. Look at that again, I'm right. Now his assertion is 100% wrong because if even I have ONE example to the contrary (read my post re: older versus younger Tesco workers) then his generalization is both wrong and unfair, and I have no doubt that plenty of other people have no issue with pre-96 Tesco workers either. He/she needs to seriously clarify what they mean by being "a terror".

St. Leibowitz

Wanderer2010 wrote: »

The poster very clearly stated that a specific group of people "pre-96 Tesco workers" were a terror. Look at that again, I'm right. Now his assertion is 100% wrong because if even I have ONE example to the contrary (read my post re: older versus younger Tesco workers) then his generalization is both wrong and unfair, and I have no doubt that plenty of other people have no issue with pre-96 Tesco workers either. He/she needs to seriously clarify what they mean by being "a terror".

I looked at it again. And again. No. He didn't say that. You are wrong. He did not say that a specific group were a terror to work with. He said that the vast majority of a specific group were a terror to work with. A subtle but important difference, when you are saying that you only need one example to prove them 100% wrong, and all the more when you accuse the poster of tarring all workers with the same brush. You then disparage the posters experience and style.

You then say that a lot of older workers in your local Tesco are great. Just because they are older, does not mean they are in this specific cohort which is being referred to. They may have been hired a year ago.

Again, just read the post and try to understand what the poster is saying, and keep your indignation for another time when it's justified.

Anyway, this is of absolutely no help to the OP and their fathers issue. I am not going to engage further on it in this thread. You can have the last word and say what you want. I won't respond, so you can tell everyone you won a major battle on the internet with just your indignation and a keyboard. I'm sure they'll be impressed.

Stheno

MOD quite the sniping and keep on topic please.

Any more unhelpful post will be actioned

GarIT

My dad is in the exact same position. Was in Tesco for almost 40 years, due to his contract he ended up on over €100k annually. He was given the choice of taking €250k in redundancy or dropping to €30k and loosing all of his contractual benefits. He couldn't afford to stay with his current mortgage and car loan so he had to leave. He is now looking for work with no much prospects.

Hopefully this thread provides some helpful advice.

porsche boy

If I'm reading this right your dad got the equivalent of over 3 years pay as redundancy, yea? That's a nice handshake right there.
I'd personally go around the local shops with the cv if I was him. Nothing like the personal touch. Go in mid morning when it's not too busy and ask to see the owner. A nice handshake and an introduction along with the c.v. in an envelope with word in the ear that he's looking for work if there's anything going. It's personal and that will stick in people's minds. Best of lock to him.

jcd5971

Wanderer2010 wrote:

^ Wow you worked for 2 years as a supervisor and you make such an offensive, sweeping statement like "pre-96ers are a terror to work with". Back up that claim- what evidence do you have that this specific group of employees are so hard to work with? I was a boss for 3 years in a previous job and I can tell you right now that if you think older workers are difficult then you haven't worked with a broad enough group of workers. Both older and younger workers can seem ideal on paper then they abuse sick leave, make the same mistakes over and over, are disrespectful to customers and are generally a nightmare to deal with.

I was a manager not a supervisor and for a number of years, I enjoyed my time there for the most part and moved on, I'm currently employed in the industry with a different company at the same level so my experience is applicable here.

To back up my statement I worked over the years in 13 stores in multiple counties and had a pre 96 cohort in 8 of those stores. In all 8 there were a litany of management challenges with this group.

They had a very specific contract which basically made them a self contained group independent of store structures and policies. And very difficult to manage.


Now I never knocked older people at all in my post I am referencing a very specific cohort of staff, of which the op's dad is, going by the redundancy it's a safe assumption in my opinion.

I offered honest feedback, there is a let's say not entirely positive attitude towards this group in the industry in general, and I tried to at least be open about it.

Also please notice I even tried to offer advice as well.

jcd5971

Mrs OBumble wrote:

jcd5971 has been very careful not to be offensive, while also pointing out the specific labour market challenge that the OPs father will face: it is a small country, people will know that he was on that particular type of contract. They may or may not make assumptions about his likely workplace behaviour based on that.

Thanks that's what I was aiming for.

EIREAROEIRE

ye i would defo knock on doors forget putting your cv in with the rest go to the store/shop whatever he thinks would suit him and ask for the owner for a quick chat the good oul irish way nothing beats face to face

jcd5971

I think it's lost in the noise here, but I would strongly recommend a recruitment agency.

They will help tailor your experience to actual vacancies and help with cvs and other things, and it costs you nothing as they make their money by getting you hired.

Alot of places hire exclusively through recruiters.