Advice from Acas on handling redundancy
06 October 2020
The effect that COVID-19 is having on many businesses and workers is destructive, with challenges to working practices, interrupted supply chains and declining demand, forcing many employers to consider redundancy as the only option to continue to trade.
Employers are being faced with making swift decisions in a delicate economic environment, with no one wanting to deliver bad news, and to add to that, losing people or being made redundant is distressing.
Acas are sending out a clear message to those who feel that redundancies are the only option:
“Employers should exhaust all possible alternatives before making redundancies. These often emerge from effective consultation with workers and trade unions.
Across our networks and members, we have seen joint decisions to save jobs based, for example, upon more part-time working, cuts to overtime, alternative roles, and retraining. When employers, unions and employee representatives work together, solutions can often result in retaining loyal skilled staff, and help avoid the costs of redundancy, employment tribunals and recruitment when the economy recovers.”
Acas, CBI and TUC have written a joint statement on handling redundancies, giving details to employers of steps that are advisable to be taken before the final step in making employees redundant is made.
Acas are also offering free advice to employees and welcome those that seek any support in handling redundancies, changing contracts or varying arrangements, This can be gained by requesting a call back from an Acas advisor who is able to talk through the issues being faced and provide advice. If this service would be of help to you, you are asked complete an online enquiry form to provide the detail of the type of help you need.
The CIPP policy team have also produced a factsheet with guidance on redundancy, members can access the document here.
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