Redundancy proposal meeting script template

[Opening]

Good morning/afternoon, everyone. Thank you for joining us for this meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to inform you that the company is proposing to make some changes that may lead to redundancies in [insert department/team].

[Background and Overview of the Situation]

As you may be aware, [insert brief background information on the situation that has led to the proposed redundancies, such as a decrease in demand for the company's products/services, or a restructure of the business]. Unfortunately, these changes may result in a reduction in the number of employees we need in this department/team.

[Overview of the Redundancy Process]

We want to be as transparent as possible throughout this process. We are required by law to follow a fair and transparent redundancy process, which involves several steps. These include:

• Identifying the roles that may be made redundant
• Consulting with affected employees
• Exploring alternatives to redundancy
• Deciding on the selection criteria for redundancies
• Providing redundancy payments and support

[Consultation Process]

During this consultation process, we will be discussing the potential impact of these changes on your role and the department/team. We will also be considering any suggestions or alternatives that you may have.

[Selection Criteria]

If we do have to make redundancies, we will use a fair and objective selection criteria to determine which roles will be affected. We will provide you with more information on this as we progress through the consultation process.

We may seek applications for voluntary redundancy.

[Support]

We understand that this is a difficult time for everyone. We are committed to providing you with as much support as possible during this process. This may include providing you with access to employee assistance programs, outplacement services, or other forms of support.

[Next Steps]

Our next step is to schedule individual meetings with each of you to discuss the potential impact of these changes on your role and to answer any questions you may have. We will provide you with more details on these meetings as soon as possible.

In the meantime you should think about any queries, concerns, issues you wish to raise or any alternative suggestions you would like to make to avoid your redundancy.

I have produced [a letter]/[letters] confirming what I’ve said, and outlining the redundancy package you would receive in the event of your redundancy.

[Closing]

Thank you for attending this meeting. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to speak with your manager or HR representative. We are here to support you throughout this process.

[Notes for meeting]

(These notes particularly apply where the meeting to propose redundancy is an individual one rather than a group announcement)

• Don’t get drawn into discussion/argument about whether the decision is justified or not.
• Don’t get drawn into a discussion whereby the employee asks you to reconsider.
• Get to the point quickly.
• Stress that no final decision has been made at this point.
• Stress that it is in no way a reflection on the employee or his/her performance at work or anything else, it is purely a business decision.
• If a discussion develops, draw the conversation to a close fairly promptly, say you understand this will be a bit of a shock and the employee should take away the letter and digest what has been said, and then you can have a more in depth discussion at the consultation meeting once he or she has had a chance to think about it properly.