Acas recently published the results of a new survey on redundancies which found that 30% of employers are likely to make redundancies in the next 12 months.
41% of large employers (with at least 250 employees) reported being likely to make redundancies in the next 12 months, with 20% of SME businesses being likely to do the same.These figures are higher than the 30% of large employers and 10% of SMEs that said they were likely to make redundancies in 2022.
Acas has also published a blog post on the back of the survey urging employers to "do the right thing" and consider alternatives to redundancies. The Director of Strategy and External Affairs at Acas, Kirsty Watt, flags up the uncertainty employers are currently experiencing which is illustrated by an increase in calls to Acas about redundancies and callers who are experiencing extreme stress and anxiety. The blog post recommends the use of creative solutions to avoid redundancies and as a way of retaining loyal and skilled staff, as well as maintaining morale and mutual trust. Other benefits include avoiding redundancy costs, potential tribunal claims and future recruitment and onboarding.
The alternatives to redundancy mentioned in the blog include increasing the availability of part-time and flexible working; reducing the availability of overtime, and offering staff alternative roles and retraining in areas where there may not be sufficient skills in-house for expanding areas of work. Of course sometimes alternative solutions won't be available in which case, as Acas emphasises, it will be essential to follow a fair and lawful redundancy process.
