If you do decide redundancies might be necessary, you should check if you have:

a redundancy policy you must follow
a collective agreement with a trade union with details of what you must do

You must follow a fair redundancy process. This should include consulting staff. You must collectively consult staff if you are proposing to make 20 or more redundancies within a 90-day period.

Make a redundancy plan

You should make a redundancy plan that you’ll share with all staff and put into action. It can help you follow a fair process and avoid the risk of legal claims. It is recommended that you work with any trade union or employee representatives when making a plan.

The redundancy plan should include:

all the options you've considered before deciding redundancies might still be needed
the number of redundancies you're considering
keeping staff informed and supported throughout the process
consulting all employees affected, including those off work, for example on maternity or sick leave
timeframes, for example to leave enough time for consultation
agreeing on fair selection criteria
whether redundancy pay and notice periods would be statutory or contractual
an appeals process for employees who think the redundancy process or their selection has been unfair

Support and train managers

An organisation with managers will need them to help handle the redundancy situation and keep staff informed.

You should make sure your managers:

know why redundancies are being considered
understand in detail the redundancy plan
are comfortable and confident to talk and work together with staff about the redundancy process
know how to raise issues or ideas with those leading the redundancy process
have training to be confident in carrying out any duties
know where to go for further support

To ensure your managers are able to handle the redundancy situation effectively, you can find training courses that cover redundancy and restructuring on the ACAS website.

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