With latest official figures already revealing 730,000 jobs losses since lockdown began, businesses are set to face yet more difficult decisions as the government’s Job Retention Scheme, which has been a lifeline to businesses throughout the pandemic, is gradually withdrawn.

The Bank of England has warned that the jobless rate could hit 7.5% by the year’s end, with aviation and retail sectors hit hardest by the crisis.

Naturally, as the redundancy rate increases, we will no doubt see a sharp rise in unfair dismissal and discrimination claims made against employers. Conciliation service Acas has seen the use of its advice line almost triple as furlough support begins to wind down, and Citizens Advice has similarly reported a surge in the demand for redundancy advice.

With this in mind, Ellis Whittam is hosting a live Q&A exclusively for large organisations on the topic of Managing collective redundancies compliantly to help senior HR professionals and Operational Directors manage the process confidently and compliantly, thereby reducing the potential for costly Employment Tribunal claims later down the line.

Hosted by our Employment Law Director, James Tamm, this virtual session will walk you through the essential elements of a fair redundancy process, including:

• The importance of putting together a water-tight business case and rationale;
• The need for collective consultation and the formal process of electing representatives;
• How to devise a fair pool for selection and identify those at risk;
• How to create and apply fair, objective and non-discriminatory selection criteria (and criteria to avoid); and
• The duty to consider alternative employment for those at risk.