ending-employment
Redundancy selection and consultation: employer checklist
A practical employer checklist for redundancy planning, selection pools, objective scoring, consultation and suitable alternative work.
A genuine redundancy situation does not make every dismissal fair. Employers need a reasonable pool, objective selection, meaningful consultation, a search for alternatives and correct notice and pay. Collective-consultation duties may also apply depending on the number and timing of proposed dismissals.
Confirm the business case
Document why the need for employees to perform particular work has ceased or diminished, why a workplace is closing, or why the business itself is closing. Distinguish redundancy from performance management or a desire to remove a particular person.
Identify the proposed structure, roles required, financial or operational evidence and realistic alternatives. Keep proposals provisional until consultation is completed. If leadership has already selected the people who will leave, consultation is unlikely to be meaningful.
Choose a reasonable selection pool
Consider which employees perform the same or interchangeable work. Job titles are relevant but not decisive. Employees across teams or locations may need to be included where duties overlap, mobility exists or work can be redistributed.
Record why the chosen pool is reasonable. A pool of one may be appropriate in some circumstances, but it requires a genuine role-specific rationale rather than convenience. Consider whether contractual mobility or flexibility affects the pool and alternatives.
Use objective selection criteria
Criteria might include relevant skills, qualifications, performance, disciplinary record or experience. Define each measure and evidence source before scoring. Avoid subjective concepts such as “attitude” unless they are converted into specific, evidenced behaviours.
Audit criteria for discrimination. Do not count pregnancy-related, maternity, disability-related or other protected absence as ordinary attendance. Flexible working should not become a negative factor. Length of service can indirectly disadvantage younger employees and should not be used without considering justification.
Use more than one trained scorer where practicable. Moderate inconsistent scores and retain source evidence. Give employees enough information to understand and challenge their own assessment without disclosing another person's confidential data.
Consult individually and collectively where required
Explain the business case, pool, criteria, score, proposed timetable and possible alternatives. Listen to challenges and correct factual errors. Consultation should occur before the final decision and allow reasonable response time.
Collective consultation duties can apply where an employer proposes 20 or more redundancy dismissals at one establishment within 90 days. The Employment Rights Act timetable includes future reforms affecting thresholds across an organisation, so multi-site employers should maintain central oversight and check current law at the planning date.
Notify the appropriate government authority where required and consult recognised unions or elected employee representatives. Failure to comply can result in protective awards, whose maximum increased in April 2026.
Search for suitable alternative work
Maintain a central list of vacancies and roles expected during the consultation and notice periods. Share appropriate vacancies and assess whether work is suitable. Trial periods can apply to alternative roles under statutory rules.
Employees with pregnancy, maternity, adoption or shared-parental-leave redundancy protection may have priority rights to suitable alternative vacancies. Do not require them to compete where the law requires an offer.
Confirm outcomes and payments
The dismissal letter should state the reason, termination date, notice, redundancy pay where eligible, holiday treatment, property return and appeal route. Calculate statutory redundancy pay using current age, service and weekly-pay rules, while checking contractual enhancements.
Keep a complete decision file: business case, structure, pools, criteria, scoring, consultation notes, alternatives, vacancies, equality review and calculations.
Downloadable checklist
Before closing the exercise, conduct an equality and consistency review. Compare scoring across assessors, test whether protected absence affected results, and check that challenges were answered using the same evidence standard. Preserve the version of each document used at the time. A later spreadsheet edit without an audit trail can make a sound process difficult to demonstrate. Brief remaining employees carefully as well: explain the structure, reporting lines and support without disclosing personal information about those leaving.
Use the redundancy consultation record CSV to allocate actions, dates and evidence. Adapt it to the organisation and obtain advice on collective duties.
For consistent procedures, create an employee handbook containing a clear redundancy framework, while recognising that each exercise still needs fact-specific consultation.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Obtain specialist advice before collective redundancy, selection involving protected leave or dismissal where the reason is disputed.
