Partner Sue Dowling, head of our Employment Law team, explains how we can help you if you are an employee faced with redundancy and the importance of seeking legal advice at the earliest possible stage.
A recent survey by advisory body Acas found that 37% of employers are likely to reduce their staff numbers before the end of 2020. According to research by YouGov, employees within larger organisations (those with more than 250 staff) may be worse affected, with 60% of companies expecting to make cuts.
Unemployment in the UK rose to 4.5% between June 2020 and August 2020, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), with redundancies at their highest level since the global financial crisis more than a decade ago.
At Blandy & Blandy, we have a very long history of helping clients in and around the Thames Valley in relation to their employment situations.
Whether your employer is a multinational company, SME, public sector body, family or owner-managed business, a charity or another type of organisation, we can provide practical, clear and effective legal advice, tailored to your particular circumstances.
Our specialist Employment Law team is recommended in both of the UK’s leading guides to law firms, Chambers UK and The Legal 500, reflecting our established expertise and our experience in advising individuals. Further, in Blandy & Blandy’s most recent feedback survey (to which nearly 400 clients responded), 99% of clients said that they would recommend our firm to others.
Advice tailored to your situation
Every scenario is different – in many situations, an amicable solution is already ‘on the table’ and you may simply require advice on bringing the matter to a final conclusion. In others, you may need more help to fully understand the extent of your employment rights, to protect your rights, and to explain to your employer what you are seeking by way of an appropriate way forward. For example, if you receive a settlement agreement, you are required to receive independent legal advice for it to be valid but that advice is important as you will be giving up your potential employment rights on signing it. If you are faced with the redundancy of your role, and the loss of your employment, we can advise you on your legal position and help you to achieve the best outcome (whether that may be challenging the redundancy or negotiating the best exit arrangements for you).
Recent findings have also highlighted that employees are at risk of being unfairly treated in redundancy situations and that employers may be leaving themselves open to resulting claims from workers. A quarter of employers admitted that they were unaware of their legal obligations to employees when it comes to restructuring and any subsequent redundancies. In smaller businesses, this increased to one third of employers.
We can also advise employees who feel that they have not been treated fairly and lawfully by their employer and indeed on the full range of employment issues.
You may find our blog articles, ‘Redundancy FAQs – A Guide for Employees’ and 'What is a Settlement Agreement and What Should It Contain?', helpful. If you are concerned that you have not been treated fairly and lawfully by your employer, you may also find our blog article, ‘Unfair Dismissal and Redundancy - Your Rights As An Employee' of interest.
For further information or legal advice, please contact law@blandy.co.uk or call 0118 951 6800.
This article is intended for the use of clients and other interested parties. The information contained in it is believed to be correct at the date of publication, but it is necessarily of a brief and general nature and should not be relied upon as a substitute for specific professional advice.
