Redundancy

Redundancy and isolation

Being made redundant is officially impersonal — a business decision. But it rarely feels that way. It disrupts identity, routine, and financial security, and produces an isolation that is its own kind of hard.

The personal experience of an 'impersonal' process

Redundancy is framed as about the role, not the person. But the person who held that role spent years building expertise, relationships, and a professional identity. When the role is eliminated, all of that is disrupted, regardless of the framing. The loss is real and the feelings — shock, anger, grief, confusion — are entirely legitimate.

The aftermath often involves a strange social limbo. Former colleagues continue at the company or move on quickly. The work relationships you maintained through proximity dissolve. You're no longer part of the conversation that filled a large part of your day.

What you carry that doesn't show

Redundancy often comes with a non-disclosure requirement or at least a social expectation of discretion. You're not supposed to talk publicly about the company or the circumstances. This can create a situation where you're carrying significant feelings with very limited outlets for them.

An anonymous conversation with someone entirely outside your industry, outside your network, with no connection to any of it, gives you space to say what you've been holding without any professional or social consequences.

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