People are very unlikely to remember exactly what was written in a consultation letter. They will remember whether someone checked in on them, whether their manager made time for them, how the meetings felt and whether anyone helped them think about what might come next. That is why a redundancy checklist for employers needs to account for what happens around the formal meetings, documents and dates on the project plan.
Two organisations can work within the same legal framework and still create very different experiences. The choices made along the way shape how the process lands -and HR has an opportunity to think carefully about that from the start.
For me, that means planning for the moments that may never appear in a formal procedure: what someone does after hearing their role is at risk, how managers stay in touch between meetings, where people can have some choice and what happens once they reach their leaving date.
What Should a Redundancy Checklist for Employers Include Beyond Compliance?
Alongside the legal and procedural requirements, the checklist should include the practical decisions that help people feel informed, respected and supported throughout the process.
Before the process begins, consider:
- How will managers be prepared for the emotion as well as the information they need to share?
- What can happen immediately after someone is told their role is at risk?
- How will you communicate and offer support between formal meetings?
- Where can people be given some choice or control?
- What will their final day and access to support look like?
The checklist is not a promise of unlimited flexibility. It prompts you to think through the options before questions arise so that people receive clear and consistent answers rather than decisions made in the moment.
1. Prepare Managers to Lead, Not Just Deliver the Meeting
Line managers have a pivotal role in shaping someone’s experience of redundancy. Where possible, I believe it lands better when the message comes from the manager who already has a relationship with the individual, with HR there to provide support.
Most managers do not have these conversations every day. They may be worried about saying the wrong thing, losing valued colleagues or even be at risk themselves. Preparing managers for redundancy cannot stop at handing over a script. They need to understand what emotion could come up in the room and what they can do with it.
Active listening is a really important part of that. The manager needs to notice how the message is landing and decide whether to pause or change pace. Turning off their phone and giving someone their complete attention might sound simple – but it can have a huge impact.
Managers can sometimes feel as though they need to have every answer. They do not and making something up on the spot is far worse than saying:
“I don’t know the answer to that today but I’m going to find out and come back to you within the next 48 hours.”
The question then needs to be recorded and followed up. Allow enough time for the meeting too; the manager should not be checking their watch because another call is waiting. For many people at risk of redundancy, their line manager is the face of the organisation. How that manager behaves will influence how the organisation is remembered.
2. Decide What Happens When the First Meeting Ends
After someone has been told their role is at risk, they may have taken in very little of what was said. They could be in shock when the meeting ends, yet organisations do not always give enough thought to what happens next.
Rather than automatically sending someone back to their desk or assuming they will carry on working from home, a powerful question to ask before the meeting ends is:
“What do you need from us right now?”
The answer will be different for different people. Someone may want to speak to their family, go for a walk or sit somewhere private with a colleague. They may want to talk to a mental health first aider or the organisation’s outplacement provider. Another person may prefer to carry on with their day.
Practicalities come into this. When I managed redundancies in a manufacturing organisation, it would not have been possible to give every person the rest of the day off because the operation still had to continue. Consider in advance what you can offer consistently and where there is room to respond to the individual.
Have the available support ready before the announcement so people have somewhere to turn when they need it.
3. Plan the Space Between Formal Meetings
Uncertainty often grows between consultation meetings. If nothing is being communicated, people will make up their own stories about the situation.
One of the simplest things you can do is keep communicating even when there is nothing new to report. A short update could say:
“There’s nothing further to share this week but we’ll continue to keep you informed. If any questions have come up, here is who you can speak to.”
Build those updates into the communication plan and encourage managers to check in informally, giving people space to raise questions before they develop into bigger worries.
Accessible FAQs can cover key dates, useful contacts and available support, including financial wellbeing resources, an employee assistance programme, employment services or practical job-search guidance.
You do not have to solve every problem. Signposting gives people somewhere credible to go, while making support visible means they do not need to know the right question before they can find it.
People who are not directly at risk are also watching how colleagues are treated and wondering what the future holds. You may not have every answer but visible leadership and the opportunity to ask questions matter to them too.
4. Where Can You Give People More Choice and Control?
You cannot offer unlimited choice during redundancy but small decisions can make a big difference when so much else feels out of someone’s control.
Depending on your organisation and the people involved, you might consider:
- Checking whether the scheduled meeting time works for the individual.
- Offering a choice between an online or face-to-face meeting where possible.
- Asking how they would prefer to keep in touch during consultation.
- Allowing flexibility for interviews, conversations with recruiters, applications or training.
- Sharing the meeting structure in advance or providing information in a different format.
- Taking account of caring responsibilities, maternity leave, long-term sickness or any reasonable adjustments someone may need.
Some people will want regular contact from their manager, while others may need more space. One person may already be speaking to recruiters and another may not be ready to think about what comes next. Fairness does not require identical treatment, although your approach still needs to be consistent and the boundaries clear.
A useful way to frame the conversation is:
“These are the things we can’t change, but within that, what would be most helpful for you?”
Asking what someone needs, instead of assuming you already know, also helps make the process more inclusive.
5. Why Should the Checklist Extend Beyond the Leaving Date?
The leaving date may be the end of the project plan but for someone who has not secured another role, it can be the beginning of a much longer transition.
I firmly believe the best redundancy support does not stop when someone leaves, which is one reason outplacement support can be so valuable. Some people will update their CV during consultation because they need work quickly. Others may be financially stable and want time to process what has happened before thinking about another role.
Giving people access to support beyond their leaving date means they can engage when they are ready, rather than when the redundancy timetable says they should be.
Ask what they want their final day to look like. Will someone make the effort to say thank you? If they return equipment, will anybody be there to acknowledge them? Do they want to say goodbye to colleagues or would they prefer to leave without any attention?
Not everybody wants a presentation or leaving party; for some people, that would be their worst nightmare. Someone else may feel hurt if years of service pass without any acknowledgement. Asking gives the individual some control over how their employment ends.
A thoughtful ending does not change what has happened but it can influence how someone looks back on their time with the organisation.
Make sure people know who to contact about final pay, their pension or another practical issue. You might also ask whether they would like to remain connected on LinkedIn or join an alumni network. The employment relationship may have ended but every other relationship does not have to end with it.
One Question to Add to the Project Plan
None of these choices replaces a fair and legally compliant process and many will not cost the organisation anything. They require HR and leaders to think beyond whether each step has been completed.
If you are planning redundancies, add one question to the conversations you are already having: not only, “Have we got the process right?” but, “How do we want people to experience it?” Then look at the decisions you are making through that lens.
That is where a genuinely people-centred redundancy process begins.
If you would like to go deeper into managing redundancies, join me and my colleague Robin for our free monthly Lunch and Learn webinar. Each one-hour session focuses on a practical aspect of redundancy management and gives you the opportunity to ask questions about the situations you are dealing with.
Discover more content like this in our Redundancy Matters podcast, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
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