Three Commonly Unfair Reasons for Redundancy

It is a role which is made redundant, not the employee.  There are many good reasons why a company may have to make redundancies. For example, if the company has had a downturn of work, your role may have to be merged with somebody else’s to accommodate for the decrease in money coming in.  Dismissing somebody on a human level is not acceptable however, so here are 3 of the most common reasons behind unfair redundancy.

Are you Being Discriminated Against?

Many people feel they have been dismissed unfairly as a result of discrimination.  As an example, according to the Guardian, 1 in 7 women are made redundant following maternity leave.  Similarly, 40% of women surveyed told the newspaper that their jobs had changed when they returned.

Redundancies on grounds like maternity, gender, race, sexuality and religion are lawless.  So, if you suspect you’ve been a victim to it you should seek legal advice because you could be entitled to a pay-out.

Are you alone in being made Redundant?

If you are part of a large company and you find that you’re the only person who’s been made redundant, it’s likely that the grounds that you’ve been made redundant on are not legal.

Remember that it is a role that is made redundant.  So if you are part of a large organisation it is unlikely that there are any roles which are operated by only one individual.  A good tip is to ask your colleagues whether any of them know if they have been considered for a redundancy.

If they haven’t, perhaps that is an indicator that your dismissal has no legal basis.

Has your Employer recently Employed new People?

On a similar line of thought to the last point, if your employer has recently taken on new employees in your department and you find out that you’re being made redundant, there is definitely a problem.

This is particularly the case if the reason your employer has given you for your termination is downsizing.  Downsizing is one of the most common excuses for redundancy, particularly in 2013 when the world’s economy is still struggling to keep itself afloat.  You should therefore note whether new people have entered your organisation before you take your redundancy sitting down.

Ultimately, these are only 3 of the common reasons you might be unfairly made redundant.  But if you notice that your employer is guilty of any of the above, you’re probably entitled to do something about it.