Second redundancy consultation and confirmation letter

What is a second redundancy consultation and confirmation letter and when should you use it?

You should use this letter when you have provisionally selected an employee for redundancy and you have already consulted with them individually once already about this for the first time.

This letter assumes that you have sent the earlier letters in the redundancy suite.

• letter warning employees of a potential redundancy situation
• invitation letter to staff inviting voluntary redundancy
• redundancy consultation and provisional selection letter

It provides the employee with feedback on the process so far, and informs them that in spite of your efforts, you have so far not been able to identify an alternative to making them redundant.

The wording also makes clear that you have not yet reached a firm conclusion and you are continuing with your process – meaning that you are still open to suggestions or ideas from the affected employee.

As an employer, you have an ongoing duty to continuously explore ways to avoid a redundancy situation, including by looking at alternative roles within the organisation.

You don’t have to explicitly say this within the letter though it does often help to generate goodwill and to reassure the employee that you are treating them fairly and respectfully.

If there is suitable alternative employment, this avoids a redundancy situation and therefore means that the employee will not be entitled to statutory redundancy pay.

It’s helpful to make this clear to the employee, as they may otherwise have the expectation of getting some money and staying employed.

Check out our step by step guide to handling redundancies for all the practical steps you should follow.