Redundancy is a noun meaning a state of being superfluous, especially in one's job. In contemporary culture mention of the word is likely to bring a frown to the face because it is a threat to job security. In large organizations the ebb and flow of economic activity can cause people to be considered superfluous at any time resulting in the thunderbolt of being told that one is redundant.
People declared redundant have to stand back and watch others carry on without them. The process starts in school in team games when children are told that there is no place for them in the team. Later, when the same thing happens at work, painful memories can be invoked.
In addition to the psychological blow of being made redundant workers have to cope with the problem of finding new employment. This can be made more difficult by the loss of confidence that any reasonably intelligent person will suffer. The sudden drop in income as a result of unemployment can compound other problems. In very few circumstances can this word connote happy feelings in the field of work.
In socialist inclined states there are laws that prevent employers from declaring workers redundant without adequate compensation. This lessens the effects of people being laid off but an unfortunate side effect is the unwillingness of employers to take on permanent workers in the first place. Alternative job opportunities may be scarce.
In other countries there are few provisions to inhibit employers from firing employees. This may seem harsh but there is a rider. In countries where employers cannot easily fire workers they are often reluctant to employ them in the first place. In states where firing is easy there may well be a ready supply of new opportunities elsewhere making it easier for the unemployed to find new work.
The psychological effect of being declared superfluous may be alleviated by the reflection that superfluity is woven into the fabric of life on earth. Plants produce millions of seeds, most of which will in effect be redundant. The same phenomenon is apparent in animal and insect life. The word is also widely used in fields such as engineering and information technology where items in machinery or systems may become superfluous. This phenomenon of life may help some people come to terms with their own place in the scheme of things.
Redundancy is also an issue in language. Tautologies in speech and writing blunt meaning and make a prose style clumsy. An editor who comes across a tautology such as 'small little', must decide which word to delete with a touch of a button. The sign so deleted is in a similar position to a human worker. It must accept the inevitable, but face the future with courage, looking for a new opportunity where it can be more useful and perhaps better off.
People declared redundant have to stand back and watch others carry on without them. The process starts in school in team games when children are told that there is no place for them in the team. Later, when the same thing happens at work, painful memories can be invoked.
In addition to the psychological blow of being made redundant workers have to cope with the problem of finding new employment. This can be made more difficult by the loss of confidence that any reasonably intelligent person will suffer. The sudden drop in income as a result of unemployment can compound other problems. In very few circumstances can this word connote happy feelings in the field of work.
In socialist inclined states there are laws that prevent employers from declaring workers redundant without adequate compensation. This lessens the effects of people being laid off but an unfortunate side effect is the unwillingness of employers to take on permanent workers in the first place. Alternative job opportunities may be scarce.
In other countries there are few provisions to inhibit employers from firing employees. This may seem harsh but there is a rider. In countries where employers cannot easily fire workers they are often reluctant to employ them in the first place. In states where firing is easy there may well be a ready supply of new opportunities elsewhere making it easier for the unemployed to find new work.
The psychological effect of being declared superfluous may be alleviated by the reflection that superfluity is woven into the fabric of life on earth. Plants produce millions of seeds, most of which will in effect be redundant. The same phenomenon is apparent in animal and insect life. The word is also widely used in fields such as engineering and information technology where items in machinery or systems may become superfluous. This phenomenon of life may help some people come to terms with their own place in the scheme of things.
Redundancy is also an issue in language. Tautologies in speech and writing blunt meaning and make a prose style clumsy. An editor who comes across a tautology such as 'small little', must decide which word to delete with a touch of a button. The sign so deleted is in a similar position to a human worker. It must accept the inevitable, but face the future with courage, looking for a new opportunity where it can be more useful and perhaps better off.
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