There’s a strange kind of irony in working in HR and finding yourself on the receiving end of a redundancy consultation. You understand the language, the process, the rationale. You’ve probably even delivered the same message to others with empathy and professionalism. And yet, when it’s your role on the line, all that logic suddenly feels a lot less convincing. Because here’s the truth: redundancy isn’t personal but it really does feel like it is.
The Logic Makes Sense But It Still Hurts
As a qualified HR Professional of 16+ years, I’ve sat in countless meetings where restructures have been discussed. I’ve seen the spreadsheets, the organisational charts, the cost-saving targets. I know that decisions are often driven by strategy, not sentiment. Roles are reshaped, merged, or removed entirely to align with future goals. It’s about sustainability, efficiency, sometimes survival. And yet in November last year, I sat on the other side of that table.
I can objectively say, hand on heart, that I didn’t understood why my role had been selected but the HR function was changing. Priorities were shifting. There’s duplication in certain areas, gaps in others. To the management, it made perfect sense. But being human means it doesn’t stay on paper. Instead, it creeps in quietly. That nagging thought: Was I not good enough? Even when you know the answer is no.
Having a role being made ‘at risk’ and subsequently made redundant has a way of blurring the lines between role and identity. You tell yourself, “It’s the position, not me,” but it’s your name attached to that position. Your work. Your effort. Your contribution. So when the role goes, it can feel like a reflection of your value even when it absolutely isn’t. And that’s the part people don’t always talk about.
From a professional standpoint, I know that redundancy is not a performance-related decision. It’s not about capability or commitment. Some of the most talented, hardworking people I’ve known have been made redundant. I’ve reassured others of this countless times. But when it’s you, reassurance feels different.
Confidence takes a hit in subtle ways. You start second-guessing things you never questioned before. Conversations replay in your head. You wonder if you could have done more, said more, been more. Even when there’s no evidence to support that thinking, it still lingers.
Loss Beyond the Job Title
There’s also a sense of loss that goes beyond the job itself. It’s the routine, the familiarity, the relationships. The small, everyday things you didn’t realise mattered so much until they’re suddenly uncertain. It’s the people you connect with on a daily basis. The friendships you create through shared experiences, office banter and collaboration. Work isn’t just work, it’s a big part of how we structure our lives and define our place in the world. And when that’s disrupted, it’s bound to feel personal.
What’s helped me navigate this, though, is allowing both sides of myself to exist at the same time. The HR professional in me understood the “why.” She knows the process has been fair, the reasoning sound, the outcome necessary from a business perspective. But the human in me is allowed to feel disappointed. To feel unsettled. To feel a bit bruised. Those feelings don’t make me less professional, they make me real.
What This Experience Teaches You
If anything, this experience has deepened my empathy. It’s one thing to support someone through redundancy; it’s another to truly understand how it feels when the email lands in your inbox, when your role is discussed in hypothetical terms, when your future suddenly feels a bit unclear. It’s given me a renewed perspective on how important it is to handle these situations with care, transparency, and genuine compassion. Because while redundancy isn’t personal, the impact always is.
And maybe that’s the key takeaway: two things can be true at once. A decision can be logical and still feel emotional. You can understand it and still struggle with it. You can be resilient and still have moments of doubt. Being made redundant doesn’t define your worth but it can challenge how you see it for a while. And that’s okay.
What matters is what comes next. Rebuilding that confidence. Recognising your value beyond a job title. Taking everything you’ve learned both professionally and personally and carrying it forward. Because if there’s one thing I know, both as a HR Professional and as someone living through the experience, it’s this: A role can be made redundant. Your skills, your experience, and your value cannot.
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Sorry you hd to go through it, but interesting to see from an HR view. Until last year I’d never been impacted in all the restructures here. Then it hit all of our functional team. It wasn’t very well done (a poor head of HR at the time), and not only was I at risk, my direct report was, and I was new to our employee rep team too. It was insane seeing it from that side too but I found it helpful as it gave something away from the personal to focus on alongside my day job. I made it through, but now a year later it’s happening again, double the size of before. And by luck of the team I ended up in after last year, as well as 2 people from that team leaving, I am safe, but basically everyone else doing our similar role in other teams is going. What’s horrific other than the sheer numbers of amazing people leaving, is that it probably wont be the last time as we relying on funding as a charity and politics is causing a lot of issues here and abroad with funding. Ive been looking at other jobs since last year, but the benefits, flexible/remote working and pension, theres just nothing else that would have made me move.
Hopefully your new role will work out well