u/prolixia

I work for a large multinational company and am being made redundant. I've been offered a new role at the same company, but on worse terms than were advertised.

Recently I applied for a role that was advertised as a job grade higher than mine. Shortly after, redundancies were announced. After the collective consultation my role was put at risk and my final individual consultation meeting was scheduled.

At the last moment my meeting was postponed and immediately afterwards I was offered the role I applied for - but at my current (lower) job grade, current package, etc. Exactly the same job, just on worse terms. This isn't as a redeployment as part of the consultation: it's the result of the application I made earlier.

I've said I'm unhappy with the offer, but ultimately they have me over a barrel here: I work in a niche job and the job market is poor. That said, the hiring manager has offered to discuss the issue with his manager and I'm waiting on the result of that.

I assume that this is a "take it or leave it" situation: a choice between taking the role at a lower grade than was advertised, or continuing with the redundancy. However, is there anything I should know about that might improve my position?

Next month I'm going away for a week and relatives will be dropping into my house to look after the pigs.

It's likely they'll get just the one visit most days, when their hay box will be completely emptied, cleaned and refreshed. Usually I do this every morning, but add a handfull of fresh hay a few times during the day as the original offering gets flattened and peed on. Since there'll be no topping up of of "eating hay", I was thinking about getting a separate hay rack to keep some of the hay off the ground to ensure there's always a bit that hasn't been soiled even at the end of the day.

I've heard plenty of horror stories about pigs getting stuck in racks, and since there won't be anyone at home supervising them I'm rather jumpy. Is there a particular type of rack that is considered safe?

I'm in the UK (North Sea) and live by a beach. I bought a SOT kayak last summer and used it constantly until the weather (and water) got chilly. Now I'm looking forward to another summer on the water and wondering how to extend the season a bit.

During the summer the water here hits 19 degrees and I'm happy to paddle in a t-shirt and shorts (and PFD, of course). It's now 10 degrees and clearly that's not remotely an option.

Specifically the SOT crowd, when are you starting to get out on the sea and what are you wearing for warmth?

As it happens, I own a dry suit from when I used to sail, but it's 25 years old and I don't even know if it's intact (let alone whether I can squeeze my dad bod into it). I'm going to check it out and see if new seals will be enough to resurrect it. If not I've toyed with the idea of a wetsuit, but I don't fancy paddling in a neoprene top and if it's cold enough to need a wetsuit I don't feel that Farmer Johns will be sufficient for an unexpected immersion.

What is the best option going to be for just safely starting the season a little early and finishing a little late, rather than mid-winter paddling?

Related question, but any specific recommendations for cags? During the warm summer evenings I find a rash vest and PFD is sufficient until the sun starts to go down and then the wind can get chilly on wet skin. I think a spray top of some kind would be good to carry so I can throw it on whilst I'm out - any suggestions as to type/cuffs/model/etc?

Thanks!