Not in a complicated or tick-box way. But in a way that recognises people don’t all experience redundancy in the same way.
Across recent conversations about neurodiversity, maternity leave, menopause and inclusion more broadly, the same message kept appearing in slightly different forms. People need to be able to understand what’s happening, take part in the conversation and ask for what they need without feeling like they’re being difficult.
That sounds simple. But in the pressure of a restructure, when timelines are tight and there’s a lot for HR teams and managers to hold, it can be easy to default to treating everyone exactly the same.
For me, inclusive redundancy is about starting with the individual. It’s about thinking ahead, communicating clearly and recognising where someone’s circumstances may mean they need something slightly different in order to participate fully.
Here are six lessons I’ve taken from those conversations.
1. Start with the person, not the process
I talk about this a lot but I think it’s the most important place to start.
Redundancy may be an administrative process but at the heart of it all we’re dealing with people and for them, redundancy may have a completely different meaning.
For some, it can be the motivation for a fresh start. They may already have been thinking about moving on and redundancy gives them the financial stability or the push they needed to do that. For others, it can feel utterly devastating.
You never really know what else is going on in someone’s life. There may be financial pressures, health concerns, personal challenges, caring responsibilities or relationship issues sitting behind the scenes.
All of that impacts how someone reacts to being put at risk.
So a more inclusive redundancy process has to start with the person in front of you, not just the policy, the timeline or the paperwork.
Because people will remember how they were treated long after they’ve forgotten the details of the consultation process. They may not remember every document or every date but they will remember how they felt.
2. Fair redundancy doesn’t always mean treating everyone the same
This came through really strongly in my conversation with Victoria Dale.
When we think about fairness, we often think about consistency. Treating everyone exactly the same can feel like the safest option because then nobody can say they were treated differently.
The thing is, treating everyone the same doesn’t always create a fair outcome.
An employee on maternity leave may need a different approach to communication because they’re not physically in the workplace and won’t hear the informal conversations happening around them.
Someone with ADHD may need information in advance, more time to process what has been said or written follow-up after a meeting.
Another employee experiencing menopause may benefit from some additional flexibility around timing, room choice or how information is shared, particularly if they’re dealing with anxiety, brain fog, low energy or a loss of confidence.
Someone with a disability may need reasonable adjustments throughout the redundancy process.
The goal isn’t special treatment but making sure people have the support they need so they can understand the process, contribute to it and participate fully.
3. Plan early so you can spot barriers
Some redundancy processes begin with a real sense of urgency. I’ve been in that situation myself as an HR professional and I’ve worked with organisations managing incredibly tight timelines.
There may be commercial pressures or deadlines. Leaders may simply want to move quickly and get things moving.
Rushing at the start, though, can create problems further down the line. Inclusive planning means taking time before making announcements to think clearly about who may be affected and whether any additional considerations apply.
- Are there people on maternity leave, parental leave or long-term sick leave?
- Are there people who are pregnant or recently returned from maternity leave?
- Are there people with disabilities or workplace adjustments?
- Could any part of the selection criteria unintentionally disadvantage certain people?
- Does the communication plan work for people who are not physically present or who may process information differently?
This is where equality impact assessments can be a useful practical tool. They help organisations ask questions such as: who could be affected by this decision? Could any part of the process create barriers? And what can we do to reduce those barriers?
That doesn’t mean every barrier can always be removed. But it does mean the thinking has happened early and the decision-making has been documented.
4. Communicate in ways people can actually process
Communication can make or break someone’s experience of redundancy. When someone hears words like restructure or redundancy, their mind can immediately jump to: What does this mean for me? Am I losing my job?
At that point, they may stop taking in anything else.
That’s why redundancy communication needs to be clear, concise and often repeated more than once. It also needs to be available in writing so people can come back to it when they’ve had time to process what they’ve heard.
This matters for everyone, not only for people who may be neurodiverse.
Sometimes that means sharing information before a meeting so someone knows what to expect. Other times, it’s about following up in writing, offering the option to bring someone with them or leaving more space for questions afterwards rather than expecting them to absorb everything in the moment.
For someone on maternity leave, it may mean thinking carefully about how contact is made, who makes it, whether meetings are virtual or face-to-face and whether the timing works around childcare or caring for a very young baby.
I know from my own experience of being put at risk of redundancy on maternity leave that these things make a difference. I wasn’t expecting special treatment but I can look back now and see how much it would have helped if there had been more thought around the location, timing and format of those conversations.
The question isn’t simply: have we told them? It’s: have we communicated this in a way they can actually take in?
5. Equip managers to notice, ask and adapt
You can have the best process in the world on paper but if managers aren’t equipped to deliver it well, the experience can still feel cold, confusing or unfair.
Managers have a big role to play in inclusive redundancy, particularly when it comes to communication, selection criteria and the way conversations are handled.
They need to understand where bias can show up, especially when they’re scoring or applying selection criteria.
They also need to be able to notice when someone may be struggling.
That doesn’t mean managers have to become experts in menopause, neurodiversity, maternity law or disability. But they do need to be curious rather than judgemental.
If someone seems more anxious than usual, less confident, quieter, more distracted or slower to respond, the answer isn’t to jump to conclusions. It may be to pause and ask a more open question.
Something as simple as: “I’ve noticed you don’t quite seem yourself lately. Is there anything you need from me to help support you?”
6. Inclusion starts long before redundancy
The final lesson is that inclusion starts way before the redundancy consultation begins. It’s in the everyday conversations that help people feel safe asking for what they need.
That might be talking about workplace adjustments before things reach crisis point, making wellbeing check-ins feel normal rather than awkward or agreeing how someone wants to stay in touch before they go on maternity leave. It’s also in how well managers know their people so they’re more likely to notice when something has changed.
If those conversations are already part of the culture, people are far more likely to ask for support when they need it.
If they never happen, people are more likely to struggle in silence.
That’s why inclusive redundancy can’t sit in isolation from the rest of the employee experience. It reflects the trust that has already been built – or sometimes the trust that hasn’t.
Creating a fairer redundancy process
Redundancy will never be easy and there is no perfect way to take away the impact of someone being told their role is at risk.
But organisations do have choices about how the experience feels.
If you’re planning redundancies and thinking about how to support people through the process, I’m always happy to talk through what might help.
Discover more content like this in our Redundancy Matters podcast, or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
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