Something that is redundant is not needed, it's a descriptive term. Layoff is a relatively recent US euphemism meaning relax or rest which became associated with non-working periods for seasonal work then evolved to cover redundancies. The US term is the weird one here.
They're both poor terms.
To me, "redundancy" means someone you don't need, as in, their job is worthless, and "layoff" means the company can't afford to keep everyone, so they're temporarily reducing the workforce. What we see so often isn't either of those, it's just headcount reduction or downsizing.
In IT, redundancy can mean reserve, or back up; something extra in case something broke.
Redundant doesn't mean worthless. It means that you have a duplicate or something, or someone is already doing the job that you are doing. Your work still is worth something, it's just not needed anymore.
Something that is redundant is not needed, it's a descriptive term. Layoff is a relatively recent US euphemism meaning relax or rest which became associated with non-working periods for seasonal work then evolved to cover redundancies. The US term is the weird one here.
They're both poor terms.
To me, "redundancy" means someone you don't need, as in, their job is worthless, and "layoff" means the company can't afford to keep everyone, so they're temporarily reducing the workforce. What we see so often isn't either of those, it's just headcount reduction or downsizing.
In IT, redundancy can mean reserve, or back up; something extra in case something broke.
Redundant doesn't mean worthless. It means that you have a duplicate or something, or someone is already doing the job that you are doing. Your work still is worth something, it's just not needed anymore.
Interesting! I see your point, appreciate it