PACE customer journey: 2019

Appendix B: customer journey examples

Kelly: PACE customer

Kelly, 29, worked in a factory and had been with her employer for four years when she was made redundant. She got involved with the Scottish Government's PACE service through her employer. The support she received from PACE gave her the confidence to start her own business. She is now self-employed and feeling positive about the future.

We went in to work one day and they gathered everybody round and told us we were being made redundant. I was shocked and angry. My partner and I both worked there. I didn't know how we'd pay our mortgage. I had no idea what I was going to do.

"They told us at the beginning of our shift and then we were just expected to work on as if nothing had happened. I made a lot of mistakes that night. You're working heavy machinery, it was quite dangerous really. It was a horrible, horrible week to be there.

"I'd been applying for jobs and hearing nothing back. I knew that it was going to be hard to find a job with the way things were going.

"It was actually PACE that gave me the idea about starting my own business. They did a lot of meetings with us to say you can do different things, don't feel stuck. So, it was them that put the idea into my head about doing something on my own.

"I remember feeling really positive after speaking to PACE, it made me realise it's not the end."

"They gave me lots of advice about starting my own business. It was really useful for me. Even them just being there and giving you ideas of stuff that you can do. Cos, in your head you think that's it! What am I going to do? And somebody's there to say well you

can do this and you can do that. You can start up your own business, you can do what you want!

"I'm now running my own domestic household service and am hoping to expand into offering other services in the future.

"PACE really helped me mentally. Like getting my head round the redundancy and that it's possible to move on. It opened my eyes to the fact that there was more.

Michael: PACE customer

Michael, 30, was a marketing manager and had been with his employer for three years when he was made redundant. PACE was brought in by his employer to support him through his redundancy. But when redundancies were moved forward, Michael couldn't access the support he needed.

I loved my job. I worked hard to make a career there. Losing this and not knowing what I could do next put a huge personal strain on my relationship. My whole life was on hold.

"I went to the PACE presentation and they gave us a big workbook and talked us through what was in it. All the one-to-one support looked really good and promising, so I signed up for the lot. CV support, LinkedIn, even pensions. I thought this looks like really valuable support.

"I got booked up for the CV workshop, it was helpful. And I felt more confident about applying for jobs after it. There was no one-to-one support for CVs at this point

but we were told this would come later on. Then the redundancies were brought forward – nearly 200 people all going within the month. We were told PACE wouldn't be able to support everyone in that short a timescale.

"I don't know how to access the support I've signed up for."

"They weren't able to come in and do the workshops they were meant to do. They were only able to do more CV support and a basic workshop on LinkedIn. But this was on my day off so I couldn't go. I've not had any of the one-to-one support I signed up for.

"I was recently offered a new job in a similar role and I've got interviews lined up for other roles.

"I don't know if I can use PACE once I've left this job. I would prefer it if PACE could speak to the employee directly rather than through the employer. There should be more information on how to follow-up PACE, especially as the redundancies were brought forward and we're losing out.

Angela: Private customer

Angela, 53, was a Human Resources manager and had been with her employer for 15 years when she was made redundant. She received redundancy support from her employer through a private outplacement service. Here she shares her experience.

I've been made redundant twice, and both experiences haven't been great. I was told I would get a months' notice, but I was given a week. My employer offered me help through a private company. I was given four weeks support, that was it.

"It took a while for the adviser to get around to me. She told me that she had already reached her target, and I thought I really don't want to hear that. I just felt what's the point in me sitting here trying to get this lady to understand and really get her to help me.

"The support available to me was too junior, and I couldn't access the help I wanted to do because the courses started after my four weeks ended. It was so frustrating and

condescending. The advisor didn't give me any pointers or direct me towards any organisations; she didn't do any research on me prior to meeting me. I didn't get anything at all from her.

"I feel demotivated and de-skilled. I'm really not sure where I fit in at this point in time."

"I asked my employer to bring in PACE, as I had heard about them through a previous redundancy. But they refused. They would rather use a private organisation. I think PACE are under-utilised; they could work alongside other providers.

"I'm looking for work at the moment but it's been challenging. Ageism is a barrier and whether people want to admit it or not it does exist. People do discriminate. I've been to interviews for lower level jobs but not getting anywhere because I'm too experienced. It's really frustrating.

"I would like to see more tailored support for people at my level. There needs to be better support for people in senior roles.

Kevin: Non-service user

Kevin, 35, was a Human Resources manager when he was made redundant. He had been with his employer for five years. Here he talks about his experience of redundancy.

I noticed something was going on, clues were coming out there might be redundancies. And then we were told there was going to be a re-structure. It was then I thought my job might be at risk. I found out I was being made redundant shortly after that. I've got a mortgage and two children; and it was leading up to Christmas so finance was a real concern. I started looking for work straight away.

"My employer didn't really offer any information on the redundancy, so I was going in blind as this was my first time in this situation. I was given a policy to read and that was as far as it went.

"I was sworn to secrecy so that other employees wouldn't find out about the redundancies. It was hard to stay motivated knowing I couldn't talk to anyone about what was happening; and I still had a job to do.

"It would have been useful to have been able to talk to someone and not have to hide what was happening from my colleagues."

"My employer offered me a coach before we went into consultation. This was helpful. I had three sessions with the coach and this motivated me to look for work and move on.

"I looked online for information and came across PACE. But I didn't access it, I was too focused on finding a new job rather than

looking for support. I knew what I wanted to do and was confident in doing it. So didn't feel I needed much help.

"I was confident in my skills so applied for a few jobs and got to the interview stage. I was lucky enough to be offered a position in a similar field which I gladly accepted. That was two days before Christmas! So that really put me at ease as I knew what was happening.

"It would have been good to have more information about the redundancy process from the beginning. And it would have been good to have been able to talk to someone and to have someone accompany me to meetings.

Allan: Non-service user

Allan, 25, worked as a manager in the hospitality sector. He was recently made redundant after two years with his employer. Here he shares his experience of redundancy.

I knew the redundancy was coming, it wasn't a total surprise. The company was going through a restructure. I was offered another job within the company, but it wasn't suitable.

"It was a very difficult period. I was having problems with family, working overtime; I felt really undervalued. I didn't get much support from my employer other than my redundancy package.

"After I left my job I was unemployed for about a month. I didn't feel like I needed support. I'd been getting interviews and the CVs I'd submitted had received good feedback. I felt confident that I'd get another job. I also had some money behind me, so the redundancy wasn't a huge concern for me at the time.

"I signed on a week or so after I left my job. The Jobcentre was trying to point me towards jobs, but they weren't what I was looking for. I was offered an appointment with Routes to Work. I didn't take this up because I had a few irons in the fire at this stage.

"I found a new job but after a few months I realised it wasn't for me. So I left and am looking for work. I went back to the Jobcentre and spoke to them about training opportunities and they were really helpful. I took up the Routes for Work appointment this time as well.

"I'm now considering doing a training course that will allow me to transfer my skills into another sector."

"Looking back on it, it would have been useful to have more information from my employer upfront at an earlier date. It would have been good to know what my options were and what support was out there. I might have looked into it had I known about it.

Jim: Non-service user

Jim, 57, was a senior manager when he was made redundant. He found it challenging to secure employment and so he decided to become self-employed. Here he talks about his experience.

I'd been there for 20 years. I was called into a meeting with the boss and was told they were reshaping the business and I wasn't part of what they were doing.

"I felt ashamed. I was playing things back over the last few months trying to work out what I did wrong. This was the first time I'd been unemployed since I was 16. I thought what do I do? I had no one to turn to.

"I was worried about finding a new job. People talk about when you're older that you've got experience and skills. But employers also need to keep salaries down. So, they're maybe not employing people my age.

"I didn't think I needed support. I just wanted my CV looked at. I didn't think I needed anything else. But that was probably because of a lack of awareness on my part. I just thought I'll go out and get a new job. I applied for more than 200 jobs and got nowhere. Although officially ageism doesn't exist, let me tell you it's real. I thought to myself I'm just going to have to deal with this on my own.

"There was no doubt I felt the impact of the redundancy, I felt like I'd lost my self-worth."

"I was told by someone at the Jobcentre that I've got far too much knowledge and experience and there wasn't much she could help me with. They tend to help the younger folk get their first job. I liked her honesty!

"I decided to try the self-employed route after that. I'm now doing a consultancy role in the same field of work as before. I'm enjoying it, it's going well.

"Once you're registered at the Jobcentre it would be good for someone to follow-up with you, or mentor you. Especially with males who may feel they don't need help or don't want to ask.