Hélène Dufresne-Ward
employment-rights specialist
Forensic and calm; reads every clause twice
After the Restructure
Ninety days of severance, a mortgage with twelve years left, and a council that disagrees about whether he should challenge the dismissal, retrain into data, consult or move sideways.
In development · being written
Work & careers Hard choices Ambition Living with uncertainty Workplace City life Bracing Lightly witty
The premise
Ninety days of severance, a mortgage with twelve years left, and a council that disagrees about whether he should challenge the dismissal, retrain into data, consult or move sideways. Graham tries each path long enough to learn its real cost to his money, pride and marriage.
The protagonist
Graham Reyes — 51-year-old logistics manager made redundant after nineteen years
The council
Every council member is an original fictional character. None represents, quotes or is endorsed by a real person.
Marcus Lindqvist-Obi
executive recruiter
Brisk and market-minded; underestimates age bias
Simone Achterberg
adult-learning designer
Encouraging but sceptical of bootcamp hype
How the story moves
From shock to a new working life; each path is tested in turn while the household finances tighten, and the final job is one none of them predicted.
What readers take away
- Redundancy law: consultation, fair selection and statutory pay
- Reading a settlement agreement before signing
- Age-discrimination basics
- Mapping transferable skills
- Networking that produces interviews
- Evaluating retraining courses and their costs
- Interviewing as an experienced candidate
- Freelance consulting: pricing and contracts
- Budgeting through an income gap
- Calculate statutory redundancy pay from age, service and weekly pay
- Know the time limits for an unfair-dismissal claim
- Negotiate an improved settlement or reference
The books
- 1Day One Being drafted
- 2The Agreement Planned
- 3The Market Planned
- 4Two Things at Once Planned
- 5The Offer Planned
Book titles are working titles and may change before publication. No book is on sale until the complete series is finished, checked and released.