May 2013 health and safety at work

Know-how

62

Redundancy, whatever level you are at , can be ver y

tough. Unfortunately, the way the economy has developed in the last few years means it’s something that many people have faced. I fear that, though the market continues to steadily improve, there will be more people in this situation in the next year or two. The harsh truth is that you can only deal with the employment market as it is, not how you would want it to be and that you need to make deci-sions about what is important to you. You need to establish facts

quickly and then weigh up your options.

Timescale is a very signifi cant factor and before you do anything else, you need to think about how long you might remain em-ployed and how your redundancy package might change over this time. Is there an opportunity to take voluntary redundancy on an enhanced package if you leave more quickly? If so, how much better off might you be if you leave voluntarily? This is obviously very important, as the better your package, the bigger a buffer you

have and the more time you’ve bought yourself to decide on your career move. With your very un-derstandable concern about how your next move might impact on your career, it’s really important to make your decisions from a position of knowledge.

While the market is undoubt-edly improving, there’s still plenty of scope for more growth and there’s certainly a chance that you’ll have to compromise on your next move, depending on how long you have to look. Only you will know what is acceptable and no one wants to step down any fur-ther than they have to, either fi nan-cially or in terms of responsibility. Don’t be too concerned about go-ing sideways, or even backwards

a little, if that’s what you have to do. The market will continue to improve and before too long there will be more suitable roles for you. It won’t be hard to explain why you had to take a step down and you certainly won’t be the only person who has had to do it.

After fi ve years in post, I know my very senior role is going to become redundant. I’m really worried the impact on my career and

my CV of taking a step down now but see no option, because of the state of the market. What should I do?

ASK THE RECRUITMENT EXPERT

Mark Burton, Attwood Burton

Attwood Burton is a health, s a f e t y a n d e n v i r o n m e n t r e c r u i t m e n t c o n s u l t a n c y , www.attwoodburton.co.uk

Senior HSE Manager (Construction / Civils ) – Saudi Arabia – AB1653 – Excellent tax-free salary (negotiable)We are working with a dynamic organisation that provides some of the largest projects across the Middle East.

Based in Saudi Arabia, you will work on large scale Civil and Construction projects. These will include major infrastructure schemes as well as public works projects.

Extensive international experience is a prerequisite for this role. On top of that, you will have worked on multi-million pound projects at HSE Manager or Director level.

In return, you will receive an excellent tax-free salary and the satisfaction of working on some of the Middle East’s most prestigious projects.

For a confi dential discussion, please contact Alistair Attwood on 01932 213202 or email your CV to alistair@attwoodburton.co.uk

UK HSE Manager – South East England - AB1654 - £60,000–£75,000 + Excellent Benefi tsThis is a superb opportunity to join a major international multi-disciplinary organisation as their Head of Function.

The role leads on all aspects of health, safety and environmental management across UK operations, managing a team of over 30 health, safety and environmental professionals.

We are seeking candidates with a proven track record in a similar role, with experience across a diverse range of industries.

They should be able to demonstrate experience of leading cultural change and be an effective communicator at all levels, up to and including the board. The role involves some UK travel, though the majority of your time is likely to be spent at Head Offi ce, where the UK leadership team is based.

The role offers an excellent package including private healthcare, car or car allowance, bonus and pension scheme.

Please apply in strictest confi dence to Mark Burton on 01932 213203. Or email your CV to mark@attwoodburton.co.uk

For many more great roles visit www.attwoodburton.co.uk or call us for a confi dential discussion