Emma Jackson says it’s essential that anyone facing dismissal can access their rights and also that employers deliver on their responsibilities
This week we published worrying figures showing a steep rise in the numbers of people viewing our advice webpage on dismissal from work.
Over the summer - June, July and August - the number increased by 55% compared to the same period last year. A significant spike.
Our website is one of the key channels which people can choose to access our advice, so monitoring views to each page provides a useful guide to emerging trends. It indicates concerns that are just below crisis level, where people are not quite worried enough to make an appointment with us, but worried enough to make them seek general advice.
This increase should act as a flashing red light warning that many workers in Scotland are facing instability in their employment, especially given that so many are already struggling to pay their household bills and grappling with insufficient income.
The financial impact of losing your job is acute. But our advisers see first-hand people who have faced this, and they say that it’s the emotional aspect that’s often most distressing. Facing dismissal causes real stress and anxiety, not just to you but to your whole household, impacting on physical and mental wellbeing. It can affect you sense of identify and self-worth, robbing people of their confidence.
Shaun, a Glasgow-based lorry driver, told us: “I’m 58. I don’t have any other skills so if I lose this job I really think I might not get another one. I’ve been unemployed in the past and I hate it. I just hate it. Having to claim benefits, which is never enough to pay the bills. But it’s also the sense of being useless. My kids seeing me just sitting in the house all day when other dads are out working. The thought of going back to that just terrifies me.”
The situation can be even worse when you feel you’re being unfairly treated.
Linda is a hairdresser in the north east: “It’s quite clear that they want to get rid of me. I’ve tried to get on with my line manager but she’s just really hard on me and I think she wants me out. It’s so upsetting. I’m not sleeping and I’m a nervous wreck at work. I’m coming to you so I know my rights and you’ve given me good advice and that’s great, but even with that it’s a rubbish situation to be in.”
It’s essential that anyone facing dismissal can access their rights and also that employers deliver on their responsibilities. This is where the 59 CABs across Scotland are essential. Free, impartial and confidential support is available now at citizensadvice.org.uk/scotland/ or by making a face-to-face appointment at your local CAB.
But we also urge any employers reading this to think about their workers’ emotional well-being. If the need to let staff go becomes essential, be straight with them. A good employer will talk to their workforce about what’s on the horizon at the earliest opportunity, and listen to their concerns. A good employer will also know their workers’ rights and will respect them. The need to cut staff can arise for a multitude of different reasons. But following due process and acting with care and compassion matters. And benefits everyone.
Emma Jackson leads the Social Justice team at Citizens Advice Scotland.
This column was first published in the Herald.
