Been Made Redundant but Want a Break from Stress

flatwhitepls on 17/10/2025 - 22:51
Last edited 17/10/2025 - 22:59

I have been made redundant my employer gave me 10 weeks redundancy pay + annual leave as exit lump sum. However, my last day is 9 weeks from today and not standard 1 month.

I want to finish sooner and still get my entitlements. Also i am not motivated anymore and don't care not reiceiving pay for my notice. My contract says employer must give 1 month notice. I don't think i can stick around due to stress and constant pressure.

Employer told me if i find another job during my notice they won't pay my redundancy. I have requested to reduce my notice but denied due to project priorities… I feel like a prisoner and the only way to break free sooner is to resign and give up my redundancy entitlements.

What are my options? Take sick for whole 9 weeks if doctor can issue a medical certificate for my mental health? I work in IT.

Poll Options

  • 86
    Take sick for whole duration and try to get medical certificate
  • 22
    Take sick on and off
  • 558
    Be present and do fuck all
  • 2
    Quit
  • 8
    Seek legal advice they are dodgy
  • 12
    Suck it up work like a prisoner
Education & Work

Comments

  • 7ekn00 on 17/10/2025 - 23:17
    +23

    Should have sick leave built up that does not get paid out … you only going to lose it if you don't use it :P

    • jace88 on 17/10/2025 - 23:32
      +14

      Next minute there'll be a classifieds posting asking for dinner with anyone with a contagious sickness which takes 9-10 weeks to recover from.

      FWIW to Op: As someone who was made redundant before, try to enjoy the time. Easier said than done but in some ways it's nice having 'certainty' even if the outcome in the short term isn't necessarily the one you were aiming for.

      • cameldownunder on 19/10/2025 - 16:40

        Just got a violent stomach bug. I could cook !

        • stephjess3 on 20/10/2025 - 00:36

          lol

        • Muppet Detector on 20/10/2025 - 01:17
          -1

          I could cook !

          Something with mushrooms?

        • serpserpserp on 20/10/2025 - 08:10
          +2

          Beef Wellington perhaps? Maybe OP can just eat a few spoonfuls tho

        • ATangk on 20/10/2025 - 16:36

          Couldn't stomach being at the company any longer sounds too legitimate.

      • jay9 on 21/10/2025 - 07:56
        +2

        OP is literally burnt out, this is a very valid use of sick leave for mental health reasons.

    • plmko on 17/10/2025 - 23:29
      +53

      Something something loyalty means nothing.

      • gromit on 18/10/2025 - 13:52
        +10

        loyalty or at least doing your job you are paid for means a shit ton when you may need them for a reference in future, unemployment is going up, don't burn bridges unless you have to.

      • smartProverble on 18/10/2025 - 23:12
        +1

        John Snow learned that the hard way

        • Munki on 20/10/2025 - 23:30

          Jon Snow knows nothin'.

      • kungfupanda on 19/10/2025 - 07:14

        second this!!

    • capslock on 18/10/2025 - 07:59
      +1

      Agree, unless OP doesn't care about burning bridges.

      • JIMB0 on 18/10/2025 - 09:15
        +9

        If you're a strong swimmer burning bridges isn't a problem.

      • flatwhitepls on 18/10/2025 - 21:30
        +15

        At this point my health is more important. I want to finish on a good note but they won't let me leave with my redundancy entitlements. Remember they are the one who initiated it. All my years of service i served well. But lately its all been about delivering and not people.

        • stephjess3 on 20/10/2025 - 00:37
          +1

          That’s what happened at the last place I worked. It became inhuman and it was all
          About the almighty dollar.

        • Succulent on 20/10/2025 - 07:44

          How long have you been working there?

        • Harold Halfprice on 21/10/2025 - 20:12

          But lately its all been about delivering and not people

          Unfortunately, this seems pretty common all over the place these days. I'm going through the same shit, my partner is, all my friends are. Everyone I talk to is feeling burnt out, stressed and pressured to deliver more and more.

          The economy for the most part is struggling - not just for us in Australia but globally too. The result is businesses tighten their belts and squeeze every ounce they can out of their employees.

    • arcticmonkey on 18/10/2025 - 11:09
      +15

      Yet the company clearly wasn't professional asking someone to work after giving them the arse.

      The least they can do is pay out the notice and let the person have clean space to look for a new role.

      A company in general doesn't give a crap about people. As soon as they have finished with you, they will spit you out and bring in another fool.

      • flatwhitepls on 18/10/2025 - 21:32
        +2

        Agree this is my treatment for being loyal and working extra free hours every week.

        • tenpercent on 19/10/2025 - 13:34

          and working extra free hours every week.

          Document this with evidence if you can. It contributed to your stress.

        • Muppet Detector on 21/10/2025 - 20:04

          and working extra free hours every week.

          Why did you do that?

      • ozhunter on 18/10/2025 - 21:45
        +5

        Yet the company clearly wasn't professional asking someone to work after giving them the arse.

        Legally, they have to, at least a month.

        If this what the company gets for giving more notice than required, I can't see why they'd ever give more notice than required.

        • LlamaOfDoom on 20/10/2025 - 07:19

          Queue audio:
          "Those dogs only have me the legally required minimum notice!"

    • tomfool on 18/10/2025 - 20:05
      +4

      The company has not been professional in their handling why didn't they just do this in 5 weeks? They are hoping that a % of the list of people find another role and forgo the pay-out. You owe them nothing. If you can turn up and do as little as possible, throw the odd sick day in.

      • expertreader on 19/10/2025 - 12:42
        +3

        or looking from the glass full view, they gave 8 weeks notice so people have double the notice period which they can use to find alternative job. I am not for company but sometimes i see companies get bad name regardless if they try or dont.

        • ssfps on 20/10/2025 - 03:40
          +1

          I've never seen a well reasoned and fair redundancy. People remaining are always screwed almost as those getting the redundo. The C-levels that get redundos get massive golden handshakes. The timing is always about bullshit events precipitated by bad upper management, or is deliberate, eg due to outsourcing, that almost always lowers the product/service quality and sometimes doesn't even save the company money in the long-run.

        • tomfool on 21/10/2025 - 09:22

          If that was their intention then they would let the people leave early if they wanted. 100% they are hoping people will jump early so they dont have to pay them.

    • ssfps on 20/10/2025 - 03:38

      lmao did you come down in the last shower?

    • bigbadboogieman on 20/10/2025 - 08:29

      Professionalism and loyalty goes both ways.

    • smartazz104 on 20/10/2025 - 14:48

      "Suck it up work like a prisoner".

  • The Salt King on 17/10/2025 - 23:26
    +19

    Use your sick leave they wont pay it out sadly know from experience

    • mrkorrupt on 17/10/2025 - 23:32
      +27

      I hundred thousand percent agree with this, i lost between 80-100 hours sick leave, i still regret it (after almost a decade), Just go to your usual GP and ask for cert for mental health reasons

      I also am in IT and was made redundant and replaced with overseas labour by a certain 3 letter consulting services company and the job market is very tough at the moment.

      My advice is to live as frugally as possible and take a nice trip and enjoy life.

      • wombok2 on 18/10/2025 - 14:14

        curious, were you a vendor or in house worker to begin with?

      • pjbargain15 on 18/10/2025 - 18:12
        +11

        How do you live frugally and take a nice trip? Even a trip to woolies isn't frugal anymore

        • nessism on 19/10/2025 - 13:48
          +1

          MOST OF THE NON-WESTERN WORLD.

        • bigbadboogieman on 20/10/2025 - 08:31
          +1

          Have a holiday in Iran. I saw on YouTube it's quite cheap.

      • Gina Rinehart on 20/10/2025 - 21:41

        i lost between 80-100 hours sick leave, i still regret it (after almost a decade)

        Sorry but you really need to move on. Yes it sucks at the time but reality check, it was only a few weeks. I know people who resigned/retired with 200+ days of sick leave! (not that they were smart about it, and never took sick leave even when they should have)

    • The Salt King on 17/10/2025 - 23:33
      +6

      Also if you have been there for 7 years or longer you should be paid out whatever accumulating LSL has started

      • drfuzzy on 18/10/2025 - 11:54
        +4

        Be careful, with some companies if you resign after 7 years but before 10 years you lose the accumulated LSL, even though you may have had access to use it prior to your resignation. That's the case at the large company I work for. Was shocked to learn that.

        • Jackson on 19/10/2025 - 14:19

          If he's been made redundo it should be paid out pro rata

          • drfuzzy on 19/10/2025 - 16:22
            -1

            @Jackson: Yep, but not with resignation

            • duchy on 19/10/2025 - 17:33
              +1

              @drfuzzy: That’s incorrect.

              If you leave a company or your employment is terminated before you’ve taken any accrued long service leave, you’ll receive a payment for the amount of accrued leave. This includes if you resign, are made redundant or are terminated for any reason. In some states, you may also be entitled to a payout for long service at five or seven years of service, granted you are resigning due to incapacity, illness or for domestic necessity, or have not been terminated for misconduct.

              Different states have different rules:
              https://www.seek.com.au/career-advice/article/a-guide-to-lon…

        • cheesecactus on 20/10/2025 - 01:28
          +1

          Its not company policy, it's state legislation and it differs wildly within Australia (crazy that it's not standardised. Some states are far more generous)

          In most states you WILL get pro-rata payment for your LSL after 7 years if you leave for any reason (other than serious misconduct).

          NSW, QLD, NT and TAS are the exceptions and you will only get paid out if you are resigning for illness/incapacity reasons. Otherwise you have to hang on for the full 10 years to get anything in NSW/QLD/TAS/NT.

          Edit: When i started writing this i thought it was only a few states that DIDNT pay out. Turns out it's only a few states that DO pay out…. WA, SA and VIC.

    • 87percent on 18/10/2025 - 06:55
      +9

      100% this

      Go to your GP and get on stress leave for a week or so

    • reactor-au on 18/10/2025 - 08:10
      +6

      I don't understand this logic/ethic, sick leave isn't regular leave - it's meant for being sick and unable to work not for taking a holiday. Why do people think they should be entitled to take it if they are not sick?

      • 87percent on 18/10/2025 - 08:14
        +36

        Losing your job is a legitimate stressful experience. I was made redundant last year, and it (profanity) sucked.

        Op doesn’t need to go on a holiday, but needs to get his head together

        And plus, the company doesn’t give a shit about the employee, why should the employee give a shit about the employer?

        • smartProverble on 18/10/2025 - 23:15
          +7

          I got made redundant last year, sucked, and got made redundant last week again from the new company.

          Honestly 2nd time round isn't so "nasty", but it still hurts.

          Really reminds me that you can't take work "too seriously", it is not your life, and you need to have other "options" in your life besides work. Work shouldn't be your life.

          • Jackson on 19/10/2025 - 14:21

            @smartProverble: Absolutely, you are not your job, and people at work will never care about you as much as you would have cared about the organisation of you are even semi conscientious. You could be working at the UN and have a shit boss and get shafted

      • SmiTTy on 18/10/2025 - 08:18
        +24

        Because op sounds genuinely stressed and needs some time out from work.

        That is a genuine reason to use sick leave. And if that means they do a short get away to recover then that's what it is

        The OP in this case isn't talking about taking sick leave just to go on holidays for the sake of it

      • JIMB0 on 18/10/2025 - 09:17
        +1

        Because they're entitled to it.

        • BigTed on 18/10/2025 - 11:39
          -1

          They are entitled to take sick leave when they are sick.
          They are not entitled to sick leave when they are not sick.

          • JIMB0 on 18/10/2025 - 13:34
            +15

            @BigTed: Poor mental health counts as being sick.

            • BigTed on 18/10/2025 - 15:09
              +10

              @JIMB0: Mental health absolutely can be a legitimate basis for sick leave, if it applies.

          • ezekiel181 on 20/10/2025 - 18:44
            +2

            @BigTed: Not sure why you're getting downvoted. People might not like it and I get that, but the intent was always for it to be a safety net for the unexpected not just another payout.

            • BigTed on 20/10/2025 - 22:13
              +1

              @ezekiel181: I know why.
              Mob mentality and diwmittedness is a real issue on this site.

            • Muppet Detector on 21/10/2025 - 20:12

              @ezekiel181:

              Not sure why you're getting downvoted.

              Because people down vote facts here if they don't like what that fact is.

              I think it's something like shooting the messenger.

              If it gets enough down votes and gets hidden, the mob probably think it means that fact doesn't apply anymore or goes away.

  • ozhunter on 17/10/2025 - 23:30
    +24

    They could have have only given you 1 month notice, sounds like a bonus that you got bit more time to look for jobs.

    • Limitless on 19/10/2025 - 16:22
      +1

      They won't pay the redundancy if OP finds a job in the notice period though…

      • apsilon on 19/10/2025 - 16:25
        +5

        Which would be illegal and how would they even know unless OP tells them.

        • iknowtj on 20/10/2025 - 14:58

          They'll probably work it out when he doesn't turn up for work.

          • apsilon on 20/10/2025 - 17:30
            +2

            @iknowtj: Unlikely they'll get and start a job within 9 weeks, IT just doesn't move that quickly but if they do they'll be on sick leave so wouldn't be expected in anyway.

      • Muppet Detector on 21/10/2025 - 20:18

        They won't pay the redundancy if OP finds a job in the notice period though…

        Most new employers would expect you had to give a notice period to your previous employer.

        If OP gets new job, he says "I am available to start xxx

        If new employer won't wait, that job isn't suitable for OP's situation. If employer had waited longer to issue notice of redundancy, OP wouldn't have even been aware of this job anyway as he wouldn't have even known he had to start looking.

      • Harold Halfprice on 21/10/2025 - 20:23

        They won't pay the redundancy if OP finds a job in the notice period and resigns early

        They can't just choose to not pay a redundancy because OP lined up another job. While OP didn't say "if they quit" I think it's pretty well implied.

        Chances of OP finding a job and having to start within 9 weeks is low. It's pretty common to have a 4 week notice period, so it's more than reasonable to give a start date 1 month away. That leaves 5 weeks for OP to find a job and go through the hiring process.

  • Far Cough on 17/10/2025 - 23:54
    +17

    9 weeks to find a job, thats epic

    • flatwhitepls on 18/10/2025 - 21:35

      Not if you are expected to work additional 3 hours a day and be micro managed.

      • lechuck123 on 18/10/2025 - 21:47
        +13

        If you're worried about burning bridges or want to keep relations good. Then I recommend you start handover ASAP. Start handing over things to those that'll be taking them. This will will come across as "caring" and "wanting to do the right thing", but in actually you can try to reduce as much of your work as possible for the next 9 weeks.

        Sounds like there's some project or something they want you to finish off, but if can offload your smaller admin or non-essential tasks, hopefully you can shorten your days

      • derrida derider on 19/10/2025 - 14:36
        +6

        Gee, they can expect you to work an extra 3 hours all they like - but they should, in these circumstances, absolutely expect you to simply say "not happening". Stand up for yourself mate - I guarantee that if you do you will feel an awful lot LESS stress.

        Same with the micromanagement - push back politely but very firmly ("You do realise, don't you, that I can do this better than you?").. They don't trust you purely because they know you're leaving - it is business, not personal. You should adopt a businesslike attitude with them in return.

      • p1 ama on 20/10/2025 - 01:34
        +3

        Trying to say this in the kindest way possible (and trying to avoid just being nasty to someone who's in a difficult situation), but reading through your responses here, I can't help but feel that you are (at least) partly responsible for things turning out the way they did.

        It seems to me that you basically have no agency, do not know how to manage the expectations of your workplace and your colleagues, and are paralysed by fear of things which realistically are not going to happen (i.e. not paying out your redundancy).

        It seems that you do not know how to manage risk, and how to keep healthy professional boundaries.

        The reality is that if you do not develop these skills, you will have a hard time to the end of your employment here, and you will have an even harder time in your future employment. That needs to change.

        The best way to manage people is to align objectives - if you do not work from an understanding of what they want, then you are always going to feel that others are pressuring you. Learn to work out a better solution - e.g. if you are being asked to "work additional 3 hours a day" (as you supposedly say), then make it clear - "I'm not best placed to be doing this, I'll be leaving the company within the next few weeks, so it's best for me to leave this one until tomorrow so I can discuss with X and do a proper handover first". Things like that.

        If I can give you some advice - if you can't deflect requests for low-value work, you're always going to end up with the shitty work that either doesn't need to be done, or nobody else wants to do. It's your own responsibility to manage your capacity and your time, not your manager's.

  • JIMB0 on 18/10/2025 - 00:29
    +22

    I don't know why they gave you so much notice. A lot of companies give you the bare minimum and often pay it out before escorting you off site. A lot of damage can be done in 10 weeks by someone who is bitter.

    • Nugs on 18/10/2025 - 09:51
      +6

      "I don't know why they gave you so much notice"
      probably takes them up to the company close for Christmas date?
      .

    • SlickMick on 18/10/2025 - 10:53
      +6

      When our company was taken over, we were given the date that we'd all be made redundant, and had several months to prepare. I arranged to start a new job after that date. The current company decided they needed me an extra month, so I missed the redundancy by honouring the other offer.

      OP's company seems to be hoping OP finds another job so they don't have to pay him out.

      • tikei on 18/10/2025 - 14:04
        +6

        Didn't you sign paperwork when you were made redundant and discussed the specific terms? They shouldn't have been able to request an extra month from you and take away your redundancy pay when you refused.

        • SlickMick on 19/10/2025 - 10:10

          There is no paperwork until redundancy. Some companies might notify you in writing, we were notified in a meeting.The specific terms were clear, but they changed.

          I guess it would have been for the courts to decide whether they could get away with that, but I didn't go down that path. They were a good company up until they were taken over, it was a shame my relationship with the boss soured when he wasn't willing to help me fight this.
          In hindsight, I prob should have told the other company I wouldn't be available for another month. That job sucked anyway.

          It seems to me OP is in same situation. If he doesn't get work finished by this redundancy date I can see them moving date, and if OP get a job and leaves, he's already been told he won't get the redundancy.

          • tikei on 20/10/2025 - 21:20
            +3

            @SlickMick: When I was made redundant, I had meeting with a senior staff and HR to discuss what would happen and the specifics. Once we had an agreement, a redundancy contract was sent out within the next few days and i signed and returned it within the next 2 weeks. It stipulated the end date and the $.

            I imagine this is the norm.. Your company was really dodgy.

      • flatwhitepls on 18/10/2025 - 21:37
        +3

        It seems so to me. A tactic to avoid paying my redundancy.

        • Bren20 on 20/10/2025 - 11:58
          +1

          it could be this, but we don't know their intentions. There is certainly an argument to be made that it would be worse for them not to tell you about it until they absolutely had to, but they've done the right thing and let you know that this is coming.

          The timing is actually good, it gets you to Christmas. If I was applying for jobs now I don't think they'd start until late Nov/early December, so delaying until after Christmas isn't actually that bad for your timing.

          Go in, do your work, don't put in regular unpaid overtime, and if you absolutely must do overtime negotiate to take it off as time in lieu.
          If you are consistently working more than your contracted hours this is not reasonable overtime, reasonable overtime is an occasional occurrence, not every week. If they demand you work longer then ask for it in writing so you can get your lawyer to review it. If they do put it in writing then talk to a lawyer or fair work, or a union if you're in one.

          Take personal leave to attend interviews. Use sick leave as per the company regulations (how many days can you take without a certificate?)
          Show up to work, and put in enough effort that you don't give them cause to fire you.

    • MrMarket on 18/10/2025 - 22:07
      +8

      all the companies I work for, if you work in IT and have system access and made redundant, they pretty much pay you out your entitlement and locked your access and walk you out on the same day, there is no notice period.
      Well technically there is a few weeks notice but they include that in your pay out and walk you out the same day.

      • SlickMick on 19/10/2025 - 10:20
        +2

        Depends whether you're trusted or not I guess. :)
        It is common - they wouldn't want someone with malicious intent still on the system.

        But for the case when we were taken over, there was a plan for handing over to the other company on a date, and we all were given work in preparing for that transition.

        In another case where the company decided to move from .net to java and made me redundant, they were happy for me to leave without working out the notice period, but I hung around and made the boss avoid me for a month. He never made eye contact with me in that entire period. I had the right to seek other opportunities within the company, so I applied for a project management position. But my supervisor was on the interviewing panel, and they clearly had decided they wanted me gone.

        • cunningdrew on 20/10/2025 - 11:20
          +2

          Trust doesn't really come into it. It's about risk mitigation. If you were trusted and something went wrong, that would be on your manager. Why would they want that responsibility when they can walk you and it doesn't impact their pay packet.

          Being taken over is a little different as it's over arching and strategic. This is more for one off type redundancies.

          • MrMarket on 20/10/2025 - 21:51

            @cunningdrew: Agree it risk management, trust is not part of risk management

      • duchy on 19/10/2025 - 17:43

        This is exactly how it works in IT. I am surprised anyone would get 9 weeks. It’s extremely risky for the business.

      • apsilon on 19/10/2025 - 18:59

        That's usually the way and I expected it for myself given it's what they'd done with others but they had me do 2 of my 4 weeks notice as I mentioned above. Did almost no work in those 2 weeks, just prepared some hand over docs and spent the rest of the time doing long lunches with everyone that wanted to say farewell. Never heard from my manager in those 2 weeks (in a different state), last day cut up my credit card and sent pic to manager and HR, handed my swipe card to one of my colleagues and had them disable my account, then I handed my keys to security on the way out at about 10am. No exit interview, no one even checked anything.

  • Gunnar on 18/10/2025 - 01:17
    +10

    If you don't like your job, you don't strike! You just go in every day and do it really half-assed. That's the American way!

    • Far Cough on 18/10/2025 - 07:52
      +8

      I do that now and I like my job.

    • theHMASfriendship on 18/10/2025 - 07:42
      +6

      Where do I leave it?

      • reactor-au on 18/10/2025 - 08:12
        +2

        At the side of the road between Qld and WA?

      • pjbargain15 on 18/10/2025 - 18:15
        +2

        Where do I leave her?

    • arcticmonkey on 18/10/2025 - 11:21

      You first. We'll be better off with one less extreme right winger.

      • jv on 18/10/2025 - 13:23
        -3

        What makes you say that I’m an extreme right winger? Or do you just make up everything you post?

        • arcticmonkey on 18/10/2025 - 13:57
          +6

          From my observations, you repost conservative talking points and attack progressive policies and politicians at any chance you get.

          • jv on 18/10/2025 - 20:46
            -1

            @arcticmonkey:

            repost conservative talking points

            So by your definition, 'conservative' = 'extreme right winger'

            and 'far left policies' = 'progressive policies'

            Ummm, OK… You're entitled to your opinion, but that does not make it a correct one.

        • borrisz0r on 18/10/2025 - 14:31
          +6

          Oh, the irony.

  • o53djz7qTPY4der on 18/10/2025 - 04:44
    +14

    Honestly, just chill for 9 weeks. Do nothing, except job hunt.

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