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Redundancy is when you dismiss an employee because you no longer need anyone to do their job. This might be because your business is:
- changing what it does
- doing things in a different way, for example using new machinery
- changing location or closing down
If youâve been impacted by coronavirus (COVID-19), you can get funding to continue to pay your employees instead of making them redundant. This is known as furloughing.
For a redundancy to be genuine, you must demonstrate that the employeeâs job will no longer exist.
Redundancies can be compulsory or non-compulsory. If you do have to make redundancies you can get help from Jobcentre Plus.
Employee rights
Employees have certain rights and may be entitled to redundancy pay if theyâre made redundant.
All employees under notice of redundancy have the right to:
- reasonable time off to look for a new job or arrange training
- not be unfairly selected for redundancy
You should always take steps to avoid redundancies before dismissing staff.
Alternative employment
Employers must try to find suitable alternative employment within the organisation for employees theyâve made redundant.
Employees can try out an alternative role for 4 weeks (or more if agreed in writing) without giving up their right to redundancy pay.
Redundancy consultations
If you do not consult employees in a redundancy situation, any redundancies you make will almost certainly be unfair and you could be taken to an employment tribunal.
You must follow âcollective consultationâ rules if youâre making 20 or more employees redundant within any 90-day period at a single establishment.
There are no set rules to follow if there are fewer than 20 redundancies planned, but itâs good practice to fully consult employees and their representatives. An employment tribunal could decide that youâve dismissed your staff unfairly if you do not.
Consultation does not have to end in agreement, but it must be carried out with a view to reaching it, including ways of avoiding or reducing the redundancies.
Collective consultation
Follow these steps.
- You must notify the Redundancy Payments Service (RPS) before a consultation starts. The deadline depends on the number of proposed redundancies.
- Consult with trade union representatives or elected employee representatives – or with staff directly if there are none.
- Provide information to representatives or staff about the planned redundancies, giving representatives or staff enough time to consider them.
- Respond to any requests for further information.
- Give any affected staff termination notices showing the agreed leaving date.
- Issue redundancy notices once the consultation is complete.
Notification
Notify RPS by filling in form HR1. Instructions on where to send it are on the form.
The deadline for notifying RPS depends on the number of proposed redundancies.
| Number of proposed redundancies | When notification to RPS must be given |
|---|---|
| 20 to 99 | 30 days before the first redundancy |
| 100 or more | 45 days before the first redundancy |
You can be fined an unlimited amount if you do not notify RPS.
Consultation
Thereâs no time limit on how long consultations last, but there is a minimum period before you can dismiss any employees.
| Number of proposed redundancies | Minimum consultation period before dismissal |
|---|---|
| 20 to 99 | 30 days |
| 100 or more | 45 days |
Information you must provide to representatives or staff
You must provide written details of:
- the reasons for redundancies
- the numbers and categories of employees involved
- the numbers of employees in each category
- how you plan to select employees for redundancy
- how youâll carry out redundancies
- how youâll work out redundancy payments
Further information
Download the guidance on how to manage collective redundancies from Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas).
