Redundancy & Employee Consultation Training for Managers and HR Teams

Our Individual Consultation Training course helps organisations conduct more effective, meaningful and legally robust consultation processes. Designed for those leading individual consultations, such as HR professionals, managers, employee relations specialists, this practical course provides the knowledge and skills needed to manage individual consultation meetings, redundancy consultations, and the employee consultation processes with confidence.

High-quality individual consultation plays a vital role in achieving better outcomes for both employers and employees. Effective consultation helps organisations demonstrate a fair and reasonable process, reducing the risk of unfair dismissal claims, employment tribunal challenges and costly disputes.

This consultation training for managers and HR teams focuses on delivering a fair consultation process, improving communication skills and ensuring compliance with ACAS consultation guidance and UK employment law best practice.

Why Individual Consultation Matters

Where workplace change, redundancy, restructuring or contractual change is proposed, employers must follow a fair and meaningful consultation process. In many situations, individual consultation meetings are a legal requirement and form an essential part of good employee relations practice.

Employment Tribunals will consider whether an employer acted fairly and reasonably when making decisions that affect employees. A well-planned and properly documented employee consultation process can help demonstrate procedural fairness and support a defensible position should a dispute arise.

Effective consultation requires employers to approach discussions with an open mind, genuinely consider alternatives and avoid any appearance of a predetermined outcome. If a decision has already been made before consultation begins, the process may be viewed as a sham consultation, undermining both legal compliance and employee trust.

Who Should Attend this individual consultation training?

This individual consultation training course is suitable for:

• HR professionals and HR business partners
• Managers leading redundancy consultation meetings
• Business leaders responsible for organisational change
• Employee relations teams
• Operational and line managers
• Employee representatives and workplace representatives
• Anyone who may be involved in employee consultation, restructuring or contractual change projects

Whether you are managing a redundancy consultation process, implementing organisational change or supporting employee relations activity, this course provides practical guidance and proven consultation techniques.

CONTENT

1. The Purpose of Individual Consultation

• Aims and objectives
• The need for an open mind with no pre-determined outcomes
• To avoid imposed contract changes or redundancy
• To reach agreement on a way forward

2. Situations when Individual Consultation May Apply

• Changes to Contracts and Redundancies
• After Collective Consolation or Instead of Collective Consultation – understanding the difference

3. Legislation, Case Law and Good Practice – key points

• Individual consultation v collective consultation
• Specified information
• Periods of time, meeting requirements
• Example contract variations and support measures

4. Typical Time Lines and Stages

• An announcement
• Initial individual consultation meetings with each potentially affected employee.
• Employee reflection period including time off work
• Second Individual Consultation meeting – alternatives and Options
• Selection Process
• Post Selection Process Individual Consultation Meeting
• Employer Review and additional Individual Consultation Meetings as required
• Final consultation meeting
• Final Individual meeting with each employee. – Confirming the outcome individually

5. Individual Consultation Meeting Guidance

ACAS guidelines specify a minimum of one individual consultation but in most scenarios, where employers want to act fairly, support their staff and be seen to do so more are often required.  Employers need to consider time lines and time limits, together with the number of people involved and make a decision on strategy and approach. 

Using case studies and example scenarios this session explores how many meetings may be needed and the focus of each, including:

• Immediately, after the change announcement. To clarify the situation and how it may impact on the individual
• After the employee has had time to consider pending situation.
• After the selection process has been completed
• General reviews, updates on process and feedback on previous concerns/suggestions
• The dismissal meeting

6. Hints and Tips for Effective One to One Meetings

This session explores a range of communication and soft skills that help make one-to-one meetings more effective.

6.1 Developing an Effective Structure Right

• Ground Rules
• Planning a meeting
• Opening the meeting
• Conducting the meeting
• Testing Understanding
• Before closure
• Records and note taking
• Defensible Documentation – “see you in court”
• Data Protection and Confidentiality

6.2 Effective Communication Hints and Tips

Making consultation and meetings more effective revolves round effective communication.  This session explores some simply, easy to apply techniques that allow those hosting a one-to-one meeting to improve its effectiveness

• Active Listening
  • Concentrating, being non-judgmental, showing empathy and respect
  • Reflective listening, Paraphrasing, Summarising
• Questioning Techniques
  • Open, Probing, Reflective, Closed
  • Multiple Questions, Hypothetical Questions, Leading Questions

6.3 Supporting Different People – Hints and Tips

Employees attending individual consultation meetings will show a range of different emotions.  This session provides hints and tips on how to engage, better, with those who are:

• Anxious or Nervous
• Angry
• Confused and Rambling
• Shy and Diffident
• Upset