Redundancy Process
Identify if and where cuts need to be made in the business
Invariably, where one part of a business is quiet, another will be busy. If one part of the business is busy enough to hire, think about retraining and upskilling employees who would otherwise be candidates for redundancy.
However, if business is generally quiet and there are clear grounds to reduce the workforce, then it’s easy to make the judgement call. Remember to think how you will cover sickness absence, annual leave and so on after people leave – overworking the remaining staff could create future mental health issues.
Define the criteria for redundancy
Choosing who to terminate is incredibly difficult, however best practice dictates that an employer should be able to show an objective process has been followed – and therefore you should focus on only those criteria which you can prove.
Think about factors like:
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Transferable skills (e.g. some employees may be trained to perform more than one role, whereas others may only be able to do a single job and could not easily reskill)
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Experience
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Culture fit and team relationships
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Performance in current role (ideally assessed using a 360-degree performance review)
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Aptitude for the role
