Redundancy and restructuring resources on HR & Compliance Centre

See below for just some of the wealth of resources on redundancy and restructuring on XpertHR.

Up-to-date legal reference

The redundancy rights and informing and consulting prior to redundancies sections of the XpertHR employment law manual outline all aspects of the law on redundancy, including lay-off and short-time working.

Case reports

Don't forget that the law on redundancy also develops in the courts. Redundancy cases recently reported in full on XpertHR include:

  • Rolls-Royce plc v Unite - a length-of-service criterion included in a redundancy selection matrix in a collective agreement was not automatically rendered unlawful following the implementation of the age discrimination legislation.
  • E-Zec Medical Transport Service Ltd v Gregory - the employee had been unfairly selected for redundancy, because the selection process involved inadequate consultation, and the selection criteria had been applied subjectively and did not allow for objective verification.

Good practice guidance

Going beyond the letter of the law to engage people, deliver business objectives and outperform the competition. Good practice on supporting redundant employees - including selecting outplacement services and the business case for assisting redundant employees - is just one of the areas considered.

Model policies and documents

XpertHR templates to help you create legally compliant redundancy documentation for your organisation, including:

  • a letter to a redundant employee who has failed to respond to an offer of alternative employment;
  • a letter informing an employee of the outcome of a voluntary redundancy application;
  • a form setting out redundancy payment particulars; and
  • a policy on the right of appeal where an employee considers that redundancy selection criteria were unfairly applied.

Frequently asked questions

Subscribers’ redundancy questions answered on XpertHR:

  • Where a transferee has no need for the employees transferred to it under TUPE, can the selection pool for redundancy include only the transferred employees?
  • Where an employer has granted a request to work beyond retirement, but the employee subsequently becomes redundant, is the employee entitled to statutory redundancy pay?
  • Where an employee has been given notice of redundancy, if he or she seeks to leave before the end of the notice period to take up a new job will this affect the employee’s statutory redundancy payment?
  • If a redundant employee accepts alternative work for a fixed term, what are his or her rights when the fixed term comes to an end?
  • Does an employee who is made redundant while on adoption leave have any special rights?

"How to" guidance

Step-by-step guidance on managing redundancy situations, including:

  • considering and handling alternatives to redundancy in an economic downturn;
  • dealing with a relocation of business premises; and
  • deciding whether or not alternative employment is suitable in a redundancy situation.

Line manager briefings

Clear, simply written briefings on individual and collective redundancies, specially designed for line managers.

Surveys and statistics

Benchmark your redundancy practices against those of other employers:

  • Dealing with the implications of redundancy 2009 - an examination of employers’ consultation and compensation arrangements for redundant employees.
  • Managing survivor syndrome - what are employers doing to counteract the damaging toll of the syndrome?

Case studies

Learn from other organisations’ redundancy and reorganisation experiences:

  • Communication during reorganisation and redundancy - an innovative extranet and employee forum was the cornerstone of broadcasting technology firm Arquiva’s employee communication strategy.
  • Avoiding redundancies through flexible working - professional services firm KPMG achieved an 85% take-up rate for its voluntary flexible working scheme, saving the firm £1.2 million.

Worked examples

Each XpertHR worked example sets out a scenario and the necessary action in the circumstances, and follows this with a concise explanation:

  • Which of these contractual redundancy pay schemes are compliant with the exception in the age discrimination legislation?
  • Calculating statutory redundancy payments for employees of different ages and varying lengths of service - taking into account periods of strike action, military service and maternity leave.