⚠️𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺. 𝗗𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝘆.
❌𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁—𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀.
You might think you followed the process.
🚩But a missed step in redundancy isn’t a small error—
It’s a legal risk with a price tag.
↳ No consultation
↳ No fair scoring system
↳ No alternatives offered
↳ No paperwork
↳ No legal defence if you're challenged
I once worked with a company that made four staff redundant—
All women.
All over 40.
No consultation.
No criteria.
Just “restructure.”
They weren’t trying to discriminate.
They just didn’t realise what their decisions looked like on paper.
Result?
𝗔 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗯𝘂𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝗶𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝘅 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.
£30,000 𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁—𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁.
Here’s the truth:
Most managers don’t intentionally get it wrong.
But because it’s “worked” in the past—
They don’t see the danger.
And when the risk finally shows up,
It’s not a quiet email.
It’s a solicitor’s letter.
→ One employee speaks up
→ One tribunal gets triggered
→ One public record follows your name for years
That’s when “it was just a restructure” doesn’t hold up.
Redundancy is lawful.
But the process is legal territory.
And if it’s not handled carefully,
You might not just lose a claim—
You could lose your team’s trust, too.
𝗦𝗼 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗱𝗼 𝗶𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁:
↳ Start with a real business case
↳ Define roles at risk—not people
↳ Score with objective, written criteria
↳ Consult properly—not just inform
↳ Explore internal alternatives, even if inconvenient
↳ Support both those leaving and those staying
Handled ethically, a restructure earns respect.
Handled carelessly, it costs you far more than money.
What should you be doing instead?
Here’s the 5-step checklist you should be following:
→ Step 1: Document the business reason in writing
→ Step 2: Use transparent, measurable scoring criteria
→ Step 3: Hold proper consultations—not tick-box exercises
→ Step 4: Offer redeployment across teams
→ Step 5: Only issue outcomes after all steps are evidenced
🪜Miss a step?
❌You haven’t restructured.
👩🏽⚖️You’ve built the foundation for a claim.
I want to know, have you ever considered a restructure and how this might benefit your department/the company? Food for thought...
Founder of HR Habitat, award winner of "Best HR & Employment Law Consultancy, 2024" title. As featured in BBC Oline, BBC Asian Network Radio, Telegraph & more.
