How to Make Someone Redundant - Managing Redundancy

Nobody really wants to lay people off but sometimes there are no other choices, so if you own or run a business and need to make an employee or employees redundant then here are a few tips and bits of guidance:

1. Seek professional advice, to know where you stand and how you go about making someone redundant, for example do you provide them with a letter seeking a one to one meeting? Or is there another way that you can give them the bad news?

2. Write down a plan of action, for example if you have to make more than one job cut or redundancy then write down why and when this will be happening, do this as soon as possible, as it allows the employee/s in question to prepare themselves, look for other opportunities and so on.

3. Consider all of your options with the person/persons being made redundant, for example have you considered all the other alternatives, is this your only option, a last result?

4. Find out how much notice you must give to an employee, asking or informing them of their redundancy, work out their notice period, seek professional advice and guidance wherever and whenever necessary.

5. Find out what your statutory duties and rights are as the/an employer.

6. Try to have a mind mapping/brainstorming session, for example could you keep the said employee or employees on the payroll, but perhaps working fewer hours, perhaps even with fewer benefits?

7. Find out if you need or are required by law to give a formal notification of any redundancies being made to your council, government, trading bodies and so on.

THINGS TO REMEMBER AND CONSIDER

1. How you plan to choose employees for redundancy.

2. How you will work out redundancy payments plus when and where they will be made.

3. How and when you will write to employees about the possibility of making redundancies.

4. How you will carry out redundancies.

5. How you will help employees through the redundancy process, for example will you offer them contacts for work, free counselling and so on.

6. Is there a contingency plan or something of a similar nature that you could create and put into place for the near future to actually stop you making any redundancies.

TOP TIP: Employment law differs in every area so before making any decisions please do seek professional advice and guidance

I hope you have found this article both useful and helpful.