Citizens Advice Rural Cambridgeshire: Seven things to check if you’re at risk of redundancy

Citizens Advice Rural Cambs has helped 618 people with employment issues since lockdown.

Pay, entitlement, redundancy, terms and conditions and furlough are the top employment issues it has dealt with during the pandemic.

Nick Blencowe, chief officer of Citizens Advice Rural Cambs, said: “We have helped people with a huge range of issues, including Universal Credit, benefits and tax credits, and debt as well as employment, since lockdown, but we know that as the furlough scheme draws to an end, lots of people may be feeling worried and need advice.

“If you’re at risk of redundancy, it’s important to know you do have rights to help protect you from unfair dismissal and to ensure you’re paid what you’re owed.

“It’s completely understandable that you may find the rules and procedures overwhelming, but you don’t have to face redundancy alone. We are here to help.”

Citizens Advice Rural Cambs’s seven things to check if you’re at risk of redundancy:

Check if your redundancy is fair. There are rules to protect you from being discriminated against, and for being picked for redundancy due to an unfair reason.

Check how much redundancy pay you get. You’re entitled to statutory redundancy pay, which is the minimum the law says you’re entitled to, if you’ve been an employee for two years. The amount you will get depends on your age and how long you have worked for the company.

Furloughed? Make sure you get 100 per cent redundancy pay. If you were furloughed and then made redundant, your redundancy pay should be based on your normal wage.

Check your notice period. If you’ve worked for your employer for at least a month you’re entitled to a paid statutory notice period. If you’ve worked there for more than a month but less than two years, you have to be given a week’s notice. For two years or more, it’s a week for each full year you have worked, up to a maximum of 12 weeks.

Check your holiday pay. You’ll be paid for any holiday you have left over when you leave. This should be at your normal rate’s pay, even if you’re currently furloughed.

You might be entitled to paid time off to look for work. If you’ve worked for your employer for two years at the end of your notice period, you’re likely to be entitled to ‘reasonable’ time off to apply for jobs or go on training.

Check if you’ve got legal help via your home insurance. Often people get legal expenses covered as part of their home insurance package, but many don't realise they can get free legal help to challenge their redundancy if they think it’s discriminatory or unfair.

You can visit Citizens Advice’s pages on leaving a job for further information and advice.