What is a redundancy consultation period?
Consultation is when your employer discusses redundancy with you before deciding. It must be genuine and give you a chance to raise concerns or propose alternatives.
Before making you redundant, your employer must consult with you. This means actually discussing the redundancy, not just telling you it's happening. Consultation must be genuine—you have the right to raise concerns, ask questions, and even propose alternatives to redundancy.
What makes consultation fair?
- Timing: Consultation must happen before the redundancy decision, not after
- Information: Your employer should explain why redundancy is necessary, not just assume it
- Genuine discussion: You should be given chance to raise questions and concerns
- Alternatives: Your employer should consider redeployment or other options to avoid redundancy
- Fair selection: If multiple people could be made redundant, selection criteria should be fair and objective
What happens if consultation is unfair?
If your employer skips consultation or makes it a sham (consulting for show, then deciding in advance), the redundancy is unfair dismissal. You can claim unfair dismissal compensation beyond statutory redundancy pay.
Multi-employer redundancies
If 20+ employees are made redundant, your employer must consult with union representatives or elected employee representatives. They can't just consult individuals—it must be collective.
Last verified: May 2026