Redundancy
Beware of losing the skills your business needs.
If you target older workers when selecting for redundancy, you may discover later that vital skills and company knowledge are lost.
Base your redundancy decisions on job-related criteria and the needs of your business - don’t use age as a factor.
Consider alternatives to redundancy - like part-time working, natural wastage, redeployment to other parts of the company, job-sharing, career breaks.
Voluntary redundancy
Be aware that asking for volunteers might have a less demoralising effect on the workforce - but it could leave you with an imbalance in the remaining skills and experience in the company.
Last in - first out
’Last in - first out’ is not necessarily the best approach, as the ‘last in’ could be crucial to your business.
Be careful not to lose the balance of skills and experience that comes from employing a workforce of various ages.
Indicators of good practice
- There are objective criteria for redundancy, based on the requirements of the organisation
- A communication plan exists for the redundancy process
- Maintenance of a balanced age profile across the workforce
- Retention of keys skills for the future well-being of the organisation.
- There is a balance between the needs of the organisation and the needs of the employee.
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