Redundancy Consultation for Fewer Than 20 Employees: A Practical Employer Guide
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“We are only losing three roles” is not a good reason to rush redundancy consultation. A smaller proposal still affects people’s livelihoods, and a meeting is of little value if the outcome has already been settled.
This guide concerns Great Britain—England, Wales and Scotland—and was checked on 7 October 2026. Northern Ireland has a separate employment law framework. It is general information; take tailored advice where the facts or risks require it.
Does the 20-employee threshold remove consultation?
No. Acas advises meaningful consultation before decisions, including consideration of alternatives and employees’ concerns. For fewer than 20 proposed redundancies, there is no statutory minimum consultation period, but an employer’s policy or agreement may set requirements.
The current collective consultation rule applies where 20 or more redundancies are proposed at one establishment within 90 days. Count the wider proposal properly, including relevant voluntary redundancies and employees redeployed to other roles; splitting a plan into smaller batches does not necessarily avoid the duty. Get advice if the threshold or establishment question is uncertain. Collective consultation also does not replace individual consultation.
Start with a proposal you can explain
Before sending invitations, write down the business problem, the proposed roles affected and the alternatives already considered. Separate the commercial reason from the selection decision. “Costs need to fall” does not, by itself, explain why a particular employee should be selected.
A useful preparation exercise is to ask another manager to read the proposal without your verbal explanation. If they cannot understand the reasoning, the employee is unlikely to find the meeting clear either.
Give the conversation a workable structure
Acas recommends private individual meetings at least once and consideration of allowing a companion. Do not confuse that good-practice recommendation with a universal statutory right to accompaniment at every redundancy consultation meeting.
For an adaptable agenda, our Redundancy Consultation Meeting Script is an editable Word document covering the proposed rationale, alternatives, support and next steps. Use it as preparation, not as a speech to read while ignoring the answers.
| Discussion | Useful record |
|---|---|
| The business proposal | What was explained and which documents were supplied |
| Alternatives raised | The suggestion, who will investigate it and the response |
| Selection concerns | The disputed criterion or evidence and the review undertaken |
| Next steps | Agreed actions, responsible person and realistic follow-up date |
Keep selection open to challenge
If selection is needed, prepare to explain the pool, criteria and supporting evidence. Our Redundancy Score Matrix provides editable scoring and weighting with automatic totals. Those features organise the paperwork; they do not prove that a pool, criterion or dismissal is lawful.
For example, a manager might initially describe an employee’s skills as “limited”. A more useful record identifies the work involved, the evidence used and whether the employee has additional skills the manager overlooked. Consultation can then correct the picture rather than simply confirm an unsupported label.
Close the loop on suggestions
Keep a separate list of unanswered points. A short written response explaining what you checked is more helpful than “management has considered this”. If a suggestion cannot be taken forward, explain the actual reason. If it changes the proposal, update the working documents so the next meeting starts from the same position.
Once figures are needed, our redundancy calculator can help organise an estimate. Check the current statutory limits, contractual entitlement and tool assumptions for the relevant date; a calculation is not a substitute for a fair process.
Optional background reading
Elizabeth Aylott’s Employment Law: A Practical Introduction, third edition (2022), can provide background for managers. It predates subsequent reforms and must not be used as evidence of current law. Use the Acas sources above for this guide’s consultation rules.
| Photo | Product | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|
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Employment Law: A Practical Introduction: 21 (HR Fundamentals series, 21) | £20.49 |
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View the paperback on Amazon UK; verify the author and edition before buying.
FAQs
Can we decide before consultation starts?
Consultation needs to be meaningful. Present a genuine proposal and consider responses before reaching the decision.
Does a template make dismissal fair?
No. The facts, decisions and implementation matter. A template supports organisation; it cannot guarantee a lawful outcome.
Do we need exactly two meetings?
There is no universal two-meeting formula. The number and timing should allow the relevant issues to be considered properly.
For alternatives, see our guide to avoiding redundancies. Also review our January 2027 employer checklist for separately explained future changes; it is not a statement that those changes are already in force.
Featured image: illustrative stock photograph by Edmond Dantès, Pexels, used under the Pexels licence. It does not show the featured product or an actual employment case.
