An expert has advised companies considering making some members of staff redundant to be open about where the axe will fall and the reasons behind it to avoid costly legal disputes.
Acas chief executive John Taylor claimed that many private sector firms have been wary of knee-jerk redundancies in the wake of the economic downturn, but acknowledged that some business have had no choice but to lay workers off.
"In the long term, those organisations which have dealt with their workforce in a fair, open, transparent kind of way will reap the rewards in terms of less labour turnover [and] less absenteeism," he explained.
Mr Taylor suggested that one way of avoiding the need to dismiss employees could be by implementing flexible working solutions and offering people the chance to work part-time hours.
His comments came after research from Management Today and the Institute of Leadership and Management showed managers who have introduced flexible working are more trusted by their staff.
Posted by Hayley Edwards