Redundancy pools and scoring

[simj97]

Hi

 

I work in customer service role and have been recently told that I will be made redundant.

 

I have a problem with the scoring and need some advice.

 

The customer service department is made up if two areas. The first which is the main area, which covers nearly all of the companies products, is manned by people who have been in the company for a while and have loads of experience and have picked up a wide range of technical kwowledge over the years.

 

The second area was newly formed about a year ago after acquisition to look after a separate product and after people from the existing area had supported this product for a while, new people were taken on to work in this area and the existing people were transferred back into the main area.

 

The people in both areas are in the same pool for selection and both areas are going to retained.1 person is to go from the new area and 5 from the other

 

Now, the issue.

 

In terms of technical ability the new people in the new area have been scored higher than most of the people in the main area including the ones who supported the new product.

 

It looks like these people have been scored using different competencies within the technical ability selection criteria, competencies that relate to the persons specific role.

 

Is this fair?

 

Surely all members of the pool have to be scored using identical competencies within this criteria as it is a measurement of knowledge of tools and processes that are required to do the customer service role.

 

Thanks in advance.

[elche]

It looks like these people have been scored using different competencies within the technical ability selection criteria, competencies that relate to the persons specific role.

 

Is this fair?

 

Welcome to CAG simj. No this would not be fair....

Surely all members of the pool have to be scored using identical competencies within this criteria

 

...and this is why. If the jobs are deemed identical for red pooling, then the same objective criteria should be applied across the pool.

 

Members of the pool should have been consulted about proposed scoring criteria. Did this happen?

 

Have you been shown your score relative to other members of the pool?

 

Why do you suspect that different criteria have been applied to some pool members? If this has happened and your employer cannot justify that the two roles were objectively different from each other, then this alone could make any eventual dismissal unfair.

 

How long have you worked there?

 

Che

[simj97]

Thanks for your response Elche.

 

There are many redundancies being made in our department and there are multiple pools, a representative was appointed to represent all of the pools in meetings with management to agree selection criteria.

 

I have seen my scores.

 

I think the two roles probably could be seen as being objectively different as the new area was a newly created area for a new product.

 

However I have worked in both the new and existing area and my overall technical skill level is higher than the new people due to the time I have worked at the company. Similar technical skills are required for both areas.

 

I have worked there for about 12 years

[elche]

There are many redundancies being made in our department and there are multiple pools,

 

It would be perfectly legitimate to apply different criteria to two different pools of at risk employees - provided of course that the criteria are different for an objective reason.

 

This obviously relates to the fact that they were pooled separately in the first place, there must be differences between the two jobs, and thus these differences could lead to different selection criteria being used.

 

If you feel the scores were unfair, you should appeal any redundancy on this basis.

 

Che

[simj97]

Thanks Elche.

 

I think my last post may have confused things.

 

My query relates to the pool that I am in. It contains people from the old area and also those from the new area that was created to support a new product.

 

The only people who can support the new product are the new people and those of us from the main area who supported it before the new people came in.

 

Technically the new product requires the same skills that all the other products require, it`s only the product knowledge that sets it apart from the products supported in the main area.

 

So, can they use different competencies to measure technical ability for two roles in the same pool which are only set apart due to lack of product knowledge within the main area due to the decision to have a new area for the new product even when the competencies required to support all of the company`s products, including the new product, is the same.

[elche]

So, can they use different competencies to measure technical ability for two roles in the same pool which are only set apart due to lack of product knowledge within the main area due to the decision to have a new area for the new product even when the competencies required to support all of the company`s products, including the new product, is the same.

 

No they should not do this. As I said earlier, "It would be perfectly legitimate to apply different criteria to two different pools of at risk employees - provided of course that the criteria are different for an objective reason.

 

This obviously relates to the fact that they were pooled separately in the first place, there must be differences between the two jobs, and thus these differences could lead to different selection criteria being used."

 

Thus the converse is also true, if you are pooled, this should be because the roles are sufficiently similar / the same. Certainly normal practice would be to apply the same selection criteria (SC) to the whole pool.

 

I think that if there were an objective reason to apply a different SC to some in the pool, then one one wonders if those people should have been pooled together in first place.

 

As I said earlier you should appeal any decision and ensure in any minutes of consultation meetings at which the SC and scores are discussed, you make your concerns clear

 

Che

[simj97]

Thanks Elche, that makes things clearer, excellant advice.

 

By the way, where are the scales I need to tip.

[elche]

 

By the way, where are the scales I need to tip.

 

Bottom left in between the red triangle and the globe (thing)!

 

Good luck

 

Che