Is this a fair redundancy selection? 18 September 2020 at 7:04PM in Redundancy & redundancy planning 8 replies 445 views

llunnie

Hi,

I found out last week that I’m at risk of redundancy. My office has to go through collective consultation as they’re making half the company redundant so I’m in a pool with other people that shares my job title. We’re going from 4 to 2, however, my line manager who is at risk of losing his job (2 managers are being reduced to 1) has been told he can be considered for my pool but he has to opt out of his manager pool so my pool would become 5 of us going for 2 positions. 

My question is if that is legal. Could I be made redundant because my line manager is taking my job? I understand if the role isn’t needed anymore then that’s fair but they would be giving someone else my role and making me redundant instead. 

I’m having my first consultation meeting on Wednesday so I want to make sure I’m raising relevant points. 

Thanks in advance.

getmore4less

Look up bumping. 

llunnie

getmore4less said:

Look up bumping. 

Thanks that helped clear that up.

So my next question is to be with me being told I could be considered for the position of someone lower than me (so bumping)  but I have to opt out of my current consultation group and join the other one, and I have to decide in 72 hours. Bearing in mind there selection criteria being used for my current role isn’t confirmed yet, nor is the criteria for the role I would be bumped to. Is it fair for them to pressure me to potentially opt out when there’s no confirmation on selection criteria yet? 

Thrugelmir

Some people are happy to accept demotion for a whole variety of personal reasons. That's a fact of life. If you feel pressurised then doesn't sound like the right move for you anyway and the move may not be in the bests interests of either you or your employer in the longer term. 

getmore4less

you have to be careful because by accepting a move from one group to the other you are accepting that it is a suitable alternative and will have difficulty refusing the job if offered.

The writing is on the wall that there is some preselection going on with moving the manager down.

Consultation is two ways.
I would want to be included in all pools for my current position AND all suitable alternative should I be unsuccessful retaining my position 

No reason not to do selection simultaneously and once all ranked the jobs get given out in order once you have a job you get taken off all the other lists.

Could counter propose that they should use a top down approach and those that fail in a higher pool to retain their jobs get put in the pools for any other suitable alternatives.

llunnie

Until Friday I was under the impression I’d be able to be considered for both pools but they changed their minds and are imposing a 72 hour window to decide which I don’t think is fair. I’m going to raise it has a point in my first consultation meeting. 

My company seems to be in a right mess about all the redundancies, things keep changing and the director in charge of it clearly doesn’t seem to know what is going on. 

Thrugelmir

llunnie said:

Until Friday I was under the impression I’d be able to be considered for both pools but they changed their minds and are imposing a 72 hour window to decide which I don’t think is fair. I’m going to raise it has a point in my first consultation meeting. 

My company seems to be in a right mess about all the redundancies, things keep changing and the director in charge of it clearly doesn’t seem to know what is going on. 

If your employer is cutting headcount by 50%. There'll be a lot going on. Not just with regards to the redundancies either. The clock is running. 

llunnie

Thrugelmir said:

If your employer is cutting headcount by 50%. There'll be a lot going on. Not just with regards to the redundancies either. The clock is running. 

I understand there’s a lot going on across the company so I know why they want to rush us along but I (and everyone else at risk of redundancy) have the right to ensure a fair redundancy process carried out. 

I looked at “bumping” and if the process is designed to save a senior person from being made redundant by giving them a lower level job, then in my situation they’re not quite using it the same way, they’re telling me I have to choose to fight to retain my position or join the pool for the lower level position. If I fight and lose then I’m made redundant, and joining the pool for the lower level position doesn’t guarantee me the job either.  By the process of bumping, I should be offered the lower level job if I were to be made redundant at my current job, rather than being told to remove myself from my current role to potentially get a lower level one. 

I don’t see why they can’t use a top down approach for the process which seems like the logical option and would at least mean the higher ranked people stay in their jobs. 

Thrugelmir

llunnie said:

Thrugelmir said:

If your employer is cutting headcount by 50%. There'll be a lot going on. Not just with regards to the redundancies either. The clock is running. 

I looked at “bumping” and if the process is designed to save a senior person from being made redundant by giving them a lower level job, 

From a detached perspective. Not a question of saving anyone. The purpose restructuring will no doubt encompass far reaching changes and objectives than just cutting head count. The organisation will wish to ensure that the necessary skills and expertise are in place. People take redundancy personally. The business is looking to the future. With one aim in mind survival.