Skip to content
The Life List

Work

Take voluntary redundancy when the numbers work in your favour

HR books a side room for 2pm on a Tuesday, and the letter waiting there does the arithmetic for you: age and years of service, capped by law, then a figure just under £30,000, tax-free. You have three weeks to sign, no extensions. You do the maths against your mortgage, not your feelings. Say yes, and the last day is oddly quiet — no cake, just your name deleted from the shared calendar and a cardboard box by reception nobody else notices you carrying out.

Practical

Cost
$0 (you're paid, not charged)
Best time
No fixed season; offers follow restructuring cycles, often after year-end
Difficulty
Moderate
Time it takes
2–4 weeks to decide; payment usually clears within a month
What people get wrong
People assume the £30,000 tax-free limit applies only to statutory redundancy pay rather than the whole termination package, and miss the acceptance deadline while trying to negotiate a better offer instead of just deciding.
With
Alone

Add to your list Already done it

Also this

  • Say what you actually think in your exit interview

    There's a box on the exit interview form for 'additional comments' and it is, by design, too small for what you actually want to write.

    Best time:Any time of year, dictated entirely by your notice period

  • Take a three-month sabbatical from work

    By the eleventh week, the freedom that felt impossible in week one has turned into a low hum of boredom, and you start drafting emails you don't need to send yet.

    Best time:Any time, though many align it with a quiet period at work

  • Negotiate a four-day week trial at your job

    Ask for a four-day week outright and most managers hear "less work." Ask for a trial with a review date three months away, same pay, and they hear something they can say yes to without losing face if it fails.

    Best time:Any time, though pitching at the start of a new quarter helps

  • Send the cold email that gets you the job you didn't apply for

    The company isn't hiring, or at least not publicly, which is exactly why the email works.

    Best time:Any time of year; send Tuesday to Thursday mornings

  • Work a ski season in the French Alps

    You fill in the visa form at the kitchen table, unsure which box means 'seasonal worker'.

    Best time:Season runs early December to late April; apply Sept–Nov

More in Work.