Knowing your business is going to need to make cuts in its workforce is a very difficult time, even if you have been through it before. Being armed with all the required information, with what you can and cannot do, is essential for the process to go smoothly.
If you have already instructed a HR Consultant to support you with the redundancy programme then, take every opportunity to ask any question, no matter how small you think it is, as you need to have all the answers ready for when you start your consultation process. You won’t, of course have every single answer as that is very often down to experience. But take your HR Consultant along to the consultation meetings, or have them on a skype call, so that answers can be met immediately if you cannot answer them.
To begin the process of making redundancies you would have by now designed a business case which states where you are at, what you wish to change, how it will change and what the desired outcome would be. Siting individual roles, salaries and shift patters in any report you produce. This information is then shared in the consultation meeting verbally (it’s not common for employers to give copies of all of the management report, just the parts which are essential for the employee).
When do I consult?
As early as possible. It’s important at this stage to get buy-in from the employees it will impact on (in scope) and their managers and any colleagues that will have an impact on the work should it no longer exist.
Ideally, you would be looking to ask your HR Consultant how many meetings you would need to have in order to consult properly. This will depend on the size of the workforce, your policy and the types of individuals in the workforce. The most important point to remember is you must always exercise best practice and carry out ‘meaningful consultations’.
What if I only have one employee that’s in scope to be made redundant?
You would usually take the same approach for all employees, regardless of how many individuals there are in scope to be made redundant. And this would usually be starting with consultation around the problem and business case.
Not all individuals want to go through a lengthy consultation process, a final meeting where their redundancy is confirmed and all the emotions that come with it. It is possible regardless of how many employees could be facing redundancy that you could offer voluntary redundancy.
What is voluntary redundancy and how does it differ from compulsory redundancy?
Voluntary redundancy is when the employer will ask employees to nominate themselves and agree to end their employment, in return for a financial incentive. This will involve short meetings, a voluntary severance package, a voluntary redundancy settlement agreement and a termination date. Usually, the severance package is an uplift to what the individual would usually get through statutory redundancy pay. This is a very delicate process so we would not recommend entering into this without talking with a HR Consultant first.
Compulsory redundancy is when an employer wishes to make one or more individuals redundant and it is at the last stages where redundancy will be confirmed, once all options such as voluntary redundancy and redeployment have been explored and exhausted.
If you need any support through any part of a redundancy process, we have experienced HR experts ready for you to talk to. Call 0843 176 0266, or email hello@specialisedhr.co.uk.
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