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 and August, 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,” explained Sue Dowling, head of the firm’s leading Employment Law team.
“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”, Dowling continued.”
“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,” explained Dowling.
For further information, please visit www.blandy.co.uk.
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