Summary guidance from Aspect on one to one interviews following an announcement of a redundancy/restructuring
This document is also available as a PDF (see download link to the right).
One to one interviews should complement, not replace, collective consultation with trade unions which employers have a statutory duty to undertake. Detailed guidance on consultation and other aspects of redundancy and restructure is available at http://aspect.org.uk/support/redundancy.
One to one interviews should be an opportunity to find out more about your own position and to indicate to your manager what your preferences might be from those available. It can also be an opportunity to raise concerns about what is proposed. Your manager also ought to be able to clarify the process and timescale to be followed
You may be asked at your one to one if you are interested in volunteering for redundancy. If you might be, then you should be told what the process and timescale for doing so. However, indicating an “interest” in taking voluntary redundancy is not the same as agreeing to take redundancy and for any redundancy to take contractual effect you will need to be made a formal offer in writing that you accept in writing. You should not accept any contractual formal offer of redundancy without clear, written details of your redundancy and retirement entitlements. You should beware of indicating an interest in Early Retirement before any scheme is announced as some employers are using this to avoid also paying a redundancy payment.
Further advice on these issues is available on the Aspect web site.
You may also be asked whether you would want to be considered for any particular posts. Depending on how close your current post’s job description is to any potential new post’s job description you may be offered:
- Assimilation (i.e. transferred into the new post without interview)
- Competitive interview but within a limited pool of staff on similar grades
- Open interview
Such changes of post may also involve moving on to different terms and conditions if the new post is on a single status pay scale for example and you are currently on Soulbury. It would also be relevant at this stage to check what the grade of any potential new post is, and if on a lower grade to clarify what pay protection arrangements apply.
At this stage you may indicate what posts you might be interested in but we would strongly suggest you only do so if you have seen the relevant job descriptions since job titles may not be a good guide as to the complexity, range or volume of work expected.
If you are interested in part-time posts, the one to one interview is a good time to say so. If you are already in a part-time post you should be able to apply automatically for such posts, including making part-time (or job) share applications for specific posts. You may also be interesting in the option of Flexible Early Retirement, where this is appropriate and should flag this up at this time.
If you are on maternity leave, parental or adoptive leave, or are off sick, or on secondment at the time of the one to one process, you must also be offered such interviews. If you are in any of these categories you must be invited to partake in any interview process but also you must actually attend as otherwise you can be deemed to have resigned and any possible redundancy entitlements can be forfeited
Remember, one to one interviews are also an opportunity to feed in to the consultation process especially if you have concerns that what is proposed may be unworkable or unfair
Although you will be offered the opportunity to be accompanied by a colleague, a union representative or official at such a meeting, our experience indicates that it is really not necessary as by this point most members are pretty clear about their choices and preferences. You can of course always contact your Aspect representative or official prior to the meeting if there are any issues on which you are unclear or require advice; and you may prefer instead to be accompanied by a colleague who can take notes of the discussion.
It is important that you take a short note of anything you are offered or indicate you might agree to, and any timescales.
