Drawing on a conversation with Claire Cathcart, this article looks at boundaries, peer support and warning signs, and explains how a HR wellbeing plan can support the people managing the process before, during and afterwards.
When an employee becomes upset or angry in a redundancy meeting, the line manager will often look to HR. Once the meeting ends, employees may seek HR out again with questions, fears and frustrations. Meanwhile, senior leaders want the process to keep moving and the usual workload has not disappeared. It leaves HR carrying a great deal – yet HR wellbeing is rarely given its own place in the redundancy plan.
I spoke to Claire Cathcart, founder of the Elevate Hub, about what it can be like for HR professionals managing redundancies and how they can look after themselves through the process.
Our conversation was a useful reminder that finding this work difficult does not mean you are bad at it. As Claire said, “It is difficult for HR people to have redundancy conversations.”
Why can HR wellbeing suffer during redundancy?
HR sits between the needs of the business and the experience of the employees affected. Holding that position for days or weeks at a time can take a lot out of you, especially when you genuinely care about the people involved.
The part HR plays will vary. You may be taking notes, advising a manager or leading the meeting yourself. Claire has seen anger, defensiveness and tears, as well as conversations that have felt deeply uncomfortable.
HR understands that redundancy is about removing a role. For the person sitting across the table, though, that distinction may offer little comfort. Their income, security and plans for the future may all be affected by a decision they did not make. As Claire put it, HR has to “balance process with emotion”.
That emotion does not remain neatly inside the meetings. Employees may come to find you afterwards, while a manager who feels out of their depth may expect you to take over. You can find yourself absorbing reactions from both.
When anger starts to feel personal
Experience can help HR professionals create some distance between themselves and the reaction in front of them. That does not mean the words will never affect you.
Claire was honest that she found this very difficult earlier in her career. When someone accused her of behaving unfairly, it felt like an attack on her personally. More recently, when faced with an angry employee, she consciously stepped back and asked herself what was happening for that person.
“They don’t know you. What they’re unhappy about is the situation that they find themselves in.”
That reminder helped her recognise that she was the person delivering or representing news that had changed someone’s circumstances. The anger was coming towards her but it was not necessarily about her.
I’ve used a similar approach myself, pulling back enough to notice what was happening internally while staying curious about the person in front of me. That distance can help you remain present without taking responsibility for everything someone is feeling. Having someone to talk to afterwards also helps put the reaction into context.
Who can HR talk to?
Ideally, HR professionals need access to someone impartial who understands the work and can listen without trying to solve the situation. This becomes particularly important when you are the only HR person in the organisation.
Claire talked about needing somewhere to get a difficult experience “out of my head”. Once she has spoken about it, she finds it easier to close the door rather than allow it to affect her family life.
Sometimes that conversation is about seeking another perspective. At other times, you may simply need to say what happened. Hearing that another HR professional has experienced something similar can bring an immediate sense of “it’s not just me”.
That support is easier to find if the relationships already exist. Claire encourages HR professionals to keep building networks outside their organisations rather than waiting for a difficult process. A trusted peer, professional community, coach or external adviser can provide a place to reflect.
Caring about people still requires boundaries
Seeing someone frightened about paying their mortgage or feeding their family can create a strong pull to help. Claire’s view was direct: “We can’t save everyone.” She said that from experience, having previously gone too far into people’s individual situations because she wanted to help.
There is a difference between acknowledging someone’s fear and making yourself responsible for solving it. HR professionals are not automatically qualified to advise on benefits, pensions, budgets or financial planning. Trying to take on that role may leave HR carrying work it cannot sustain, particularly when several people need support.
Claire recommends having reliable resources “at your fingertips” so you can direct people towards appropriate help, including an employee assistance programme or specialist financial, benefits or wellbeing support. Our guide to financial wellbeing during redundancy looks more closely at the distinction between guidance and regulated financial advice.
Clear boundaries help the individual reach someone equipped to support them, while protecting HR from taking responsibility for something outside its role.
Notice when the process is following you home
The effect may become apparent quite quickly. Claire described some of the signs she has noticed in herself and other HR professionals:
- The situation is taking up so much thought that it becomes difficult to concentrate on other work.
- You continue going over conversations after the working day has ended.
- Your sleep is affected because you cannot stop thinking about the programme.
- You feel less like yourself or notice a change in your usual mood.
- Several weeks into the consultation, you have had no real opportunity to step back and process what has happened.
These are reasons to pause, check in and consider what would help. The effect of redundancy work on HR mental health deserves attention long before somebody is no longer functioning properly.
What should a HR wellbeing plan include?
A HR wellbeing plan should identify how the people managing the redundancy programme will be supported before, during and after it. The detail will depend on the organisation and the size of its HR team but the support should be planned rather than left to chance.
Claire asked a simple question during our conversation: HR teams produce project plans and communication plans before redundancy but “do we ever do a HR wellbeing plan before the start of a redundancy?” She had never been asked to create one, despite being involved in programmes where more than 100 roles were at risk.
A practical plan could include:
Before the process
- Clarify who is leading, advising and taking notes.
- Identify who members of the HR team can speak to when a meeting has been particularly difficult.
- Agree how workload will be managed alongside the redundancy programme.
- Prepare trusted services and resources for employee signposting.
Senior pressure belongs in this conversation too. Claire’s starting point is to understand what is driving the urgency, including the financial position and then explain what needs to happen and why. Agreeing an escalation route means one HR professional is not left to push back alone.
During the process
- Put regular check-ins or debriefs in the diary from the outset.
- Give people room to reflect on difficult conversations and shared experiences.
- Pay attention to whether anyone is struggling to concentrate, sleep or switch off.
- Review whether the planned support is still enough as circumstances change.
After the process
- Debrief the experience of the HR team as well as procedural lessons.
- Discuss what helped and what should change if another programme is needed.
- Allow people to acknowledge the effect of the work before expecting them to move immediately to the next priority.
- Consider what closure looks like for departing employees, remaining colleagues and the people who managed their exits.
For a large HR team, this might mean weekly conversations in which people compare experiences and reflect together. Someone in a standalone role may need to arrange support outside the organisation. Either way, supporting HR through redundancy should form part of the planning conversation rather than depend on someone admitting that they are no longer coping.
Our wider guide on how to prepare for redundancy covers the project team, business rationale, communications and cost forecasting. Adding HR wellbeing to that planning gives proper attention to the people responsible for delivering it.
Closure matters to HR too
Claire described a positive leaver programme used by one of her previous employers. Communications were sent, managers had the right conversations and people had an appropriate send-off. How somebody leaves has an effect on them, their former colleagues and the wider organisation.
It can also give HR some closure. Even after difficult conversations, you can reach the end knowing the person was treated correctly and given the best possible exit in the circumstances. In Claire’s words: “We did good.”
You cannot predict every reaction or remove the consequences of losing a job. You can prepare properly, treat people with respect and make sure the HR professionals involved have somewhere to take what they are carrying.
HR people may want to be seen as the professionals who can cope with this. As Claire said, “At the end of the day, we’re still human beings. We still have emotions and we will still be affected by these processes.”
You can listen to the full conversation with Claire Cathcart on the Redundancy Matters podcast.
If you are planning redundancies and want to discuss how outplacement can support the people affected while reducing some of the pressure carried by HR, get in touch with Wildwood Coaching.
About the Guest
Claire Cathcart has worked in HR for almost 20 years, including roles in large global organisations and SMEs. In January 2024, she founded the Elevate Hub, a community that helps HR professionals develop their skills, knowledge, confidence and careers.
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