º£½ÇÊÓÆµ

Oops.

Our website is temporarily unavailable in your location.

We are working hard to get it back online.

PRIVACY
Economic Development

What businesses should do if making staff redundant

One in 10 companies in the South West are expected to make job cuts next year, a new survey has found

Businesses across the South West are expected to make redundancies in 2023(Image: Unsplash.com)

More than one in 10 employers in the South West are expected to make redundancies in the year ahead, according to a new survey.

The study, commissioned by workplace arbitration service Acas and carried out by YouGov, found businesses across the region could be forced to cut jobs in the next 12 months.

Mike Fenn, Acas area director for the South West, said global events, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, had thrown up "difficult challenges" for companies in the West of England.

“Our advice is that bosses should exhaust all possible alternatives to redundancies first, but if employers feel like they have no choice then they must follow the law in this area, or they could be subject to a costly legal process," he said.

"If an employer finds there are no other choices than to make redundancies, then there are strict rules on consulting staff that they must follow."

What businesses should do if making staff redundant

According to Acas, an employer must discuss any planned changes and consult with each employee who could be affected by job cuts, including staff who may not be losing their jobs but will be impacted.

By law, employers who wish to make 20 or more staff redundant over any three-month (90-day) period must consult a recognised trade union or elected employee representatives about the proposed changes

For 20-99 redundancies, consultation must start at least 30 days before the first dismissal can take effect, and for 100 or more redundancies, it has to start at least 45 days before. For fewer than 20 redundancies, there are no set time periods but the length of consultation must be "reasonable", Acas said.