ACAS – the independent employment advisory service, the employer’s organisation (CBI) and trade unions (TUC) have issued a joint statement today about handling redundancies during the COVID pandemic, especially with the UK’s furlough scheme set to end in October and what, if anything, will replace it still to be announced.

The full statement is here https://www.acas.org.uk/joint-statement-acas-cbi-tuc

The key principles it outlines are something which I would always recommend to employers, no matter how big or small:

• Be open about why you need to make redundancies
• Give people as much information as they need to be able to respond properly
• Consult genuinely – listen to what people have to say and give it proper consideration
• Do it fairly – legally correctly and in a way that is ‘felt fair’ by everyone in the business
• Handle it with dignity – a person is losing their job through no fault of their own. They aren’t just a ‘human resource’ to be disposed of.

If you need help or guidance with handling redundancies both legally, and with professionalism and integrity, please don’t hesitate to get in touch