Managing Redundancies Part 3 of 7

Making people redundant is never easy, the current climate may leave you in a position where you need to take the decision to initiate redundancies in your workplace, in our series of 7 short videos we will explain how you should manage the process.

Consulting with Employees 

A consultation is when you talk with Employees to explain your planned changes, gather feedback, and seek input. You must discuss your planned changes with each Employee individually who could be affected. This can include Employees who are not actually losing their jobs.

The meeting can take place over the phone if you both agree to it and there is a clear need, for example if someone works remotely and at the moment due to COVID.

Your plans must not be finalised at this stage and you should aim to include any Employees’ suggestions or ideas you agree with. You should get the information ready that you are going to share.

During the consultation period you must let Employees or appropriate representatives, for example a trade union or elected Employee representative, know in writing:

• why you need to make redundancies
• the number of Employees and which jobs are at risk
• how you will select Employees for redundancy
• how you plan to carry out the redundancies, including timeframes
• how you will calculate redundancy pay
• if you are using agency workers, how many, where they’re working and the type of work they’re doing.

Next Steps

In part 4 this video series we look at the selection process, join us then or get in touch.

If you are planning any redundancies please do get in touch as the process can become complicated, our team of fully practicing trained and experienced Legal and HR Consultants can assist you and take the pressure.