Of all the mass dismissals gone wrong, the stunt pulled by P&O over the course of these past few weeks has to rank pretty highly.
To sack 800 employees via video call wasn’t just off key, it was actually illegal (as they would later admit themselves…)
As hundreds of people learned their fate, the reactions varied from dismay to despair, and from disgust to defiance.
We even heard stories of dismissed employees refusing to leave their ships. Not in the way that captains refuse to leave sinking ships, we have to add, but P&O really have sunk their own ship with this absolute farce.
The human beings at the centre of the story, the dismissed workers, should be our main concern here, not the arrogant millionaire bosses, as it is those people who will have some serious thinking to do in the days and weeks to come.
Yes, they may well be getting their jobs back, but put yourself in their shoes…
…would you really want to carry on working for a company that treats its employees as ‘disposable’, and then throws them overboard? No, probably not.
For many, the idea of going self employed, or even looking elsewhere in similar industries can seem daunting. It’s a big, bad world out there, after all, especially when the comfort zone has regular pension contributions and annual leave…
…but P&O have just blown the whole idea of the ‘comfort zone’ out of the water.
Yes, making a change can be scary, but in our eyes, being under the employment of a group of callous and careless bosses, like those at P&O, is even more scary.
It’s bloody terrifying, actually.
Imagine thinking that you’re in a secure role, with progression and protection, only to find out that the people at the top can let up the anchor whenever they like, whether it’s legal or not.
All of a sudden, you could find yourself off course and cut a drift, heading to capsize.
The puns are easy to make with this story, but the point is even easier.
How long can you afford to rely on the fat cats to look after your best interests?
So, what should you do to avoid a similar fate?
Take a look at Glassdoor when considering taking on a role with a big company, you just never know who the next P&O will turn out to be.
You could also have a conversation with Career Garage, as we can help you steer yourself into the best possible position of an application process.
We can help you make plans for the next steps in your working life.
We can make you the captain of your own ship.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccamoloneyitrecruiter/

https://gopaperless.eu/rebecca-moloney

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