Informing and consulting during a collective redundancy: The benefits of effective consultation

Author: John Hosken, an internal communications consultant specialising in employee consultation and communications strategies at times of change and transformation.

Overview

Informing and consulting with the workforce is essential for the success of any business, whatever its size or type, and is particularly important in a redundancy situation. This series of Leading practice guides discusses how employers and employees can exchange views and ideas, issue and receive instructions, discuss problems and consider developments in a collective redundancy situation. This process helps employers make better decisions during the redundancy process, both for the business and for their employees.

Here, we discuss when the duty to inform and consult collectively applies and the positive business outcomes associated with this process. This is the first in our series of four guides:

• Informing and consulting during a collective redundancy: Steps to implement effective consultation
• Informing and consulting during a collective redundancy: Communication and consultation methods
• Informing and consulting during a collective redundancy: Making the process meaningful