I think I need to make some of my furloughed staff redundant, do they have to come back to work first?

Staff that have been furloughed during the Corona-virus pandemic do not need to return to work before redundancy occurs. You do need to ensure that you are following all the correct procedures for redundancy which you can read more about here.

Here are some specific issues around making furloughed staff redundant

Ensure your selection process for redundancy is fair and that you are not just selecting staff that have been furloughed for redundancy

Staff are entitled to their full pay during notice periods, not their furlough pay. Furlough periods cannot count towards a statutory notice period

Any outstanding leave must be paid

You must carefully consider alternatives to redundancy including retaining the employee on furlough or other government scheme

It is important to remember that government guidance around furlough is being constantly updated, so ensure you are up to date or ask a specialist.

Filled Under: Redundancies Posted on: 1st June 2021

I need to make some team members redundant

The most important thing to know about making team members redundant is that you will need to demonstrate that the employee’s job will no longer exist. There could be various reasons for the end of the role such as your business changing what it does, your business doing things in a different way or your business being in difficulty, however you must ensure that the role will not exist after the person has been made redundant.

There are a large range of rules, regulations and rights with regards to redundancy so if you think you need to make team members redundant it is even more important than usual to use a HR professional to ensure you are not contravening any.

Filled Under: Redundancies Posted on: 2nd November 2020