Absa requested to withdraw retrenchment letters

Absa has agreed to withdraw the retrenchment letters that were emailed to its IT staff.

Absa has been in the news recently for possibly retrenching its staff members. According to an article on IOL, the financial institute was requested by the South African Society of Bank Officials (Sasbo), which represents a number of Absa’s staff members, to withdraw the notice of retrenchments that were issued to its IT staff members. At the union meeting with Absa, Sasbo expressed its anger towards the bank for issuing out retrenchment letters via email to its employees. The article further says that at least 140 employees will lose their IT jobs.

We had a chat with Sherwin Reddy, an executive recruiter and natural aptitude planning career coach at DBS Human Capital, regarding securing your job.

How can you explore your options if you know your current job is in jeopardy?
In most cases there aren’t any absolute signs that your job is in jeopardy, although if you feel your job is, you’re probably right. The first step is to shift your focus off losing your job, take a proactive approach and create an exit strategy.
Firstly, update your CV, register on job portals like Pnet and Best Jobs and with recruitment consultancies, as they have existing relationships with decision makers.

When should you start looking for other employment?
Immediately. The truth of the matter is that a process could take anything from three weeks to three months, depending on the company's internal process and size of the business.

What tips can you offer someone looking to save the job they already have?
1. Know what is expected from you and deliver on your key performance indicators.
2. Don’t be afraid to learn new things to better help with your current job.