Redundancy

Handling Redundancies

Unfortunately, redundancies are often necessary to enable businesses to remain afloat. Perhaps there has been a substantial reduction in the quantity of work to do, so there is a need to reduce the overall headcount, or maybe there is a need to embark on a restructure due to an increase of work in one area and a reduction in another.

If you are reading this, you probably know it isn’t simply a matter of communicating the bad news to the affected employees. There is a process that you as an employer must follow, although research shows that employers are often not fully aware of these requirements.

In brief, as an employer you need to:

• Consult employees regarding the possibility of redundancies
• Take steps to minimise redundancies, for example, by exploring redeployment
• Ensure that employees are selected for redundancy in a fair and transparent way

If the process is not followed correctly, this may cause an employee to doubt what they are being told, and instead conclude that the actions constitute an unfair dismissal and decide to pursue a claim at an Employment Tribunal.

We understand that the topic of redundancies is traumatic for everyone concerned. If you find yourself needing help handling redundancies in your business, we can provide support with every aspect of the redundancy process. Contact us to discuss the ways in which we can help. We are flexible in the way that we offer support. We can assist either on a one off  basis, or you can sign up to one of our HR support packages.