Am I Eligible for Voluntary Redundancy?

Author: Natalie Martin

Voluntary redundancies occur when a company is facing financial difficulty or has too many staff for the job that needs doing.

If you're wondering whether your employer is handling the voluntary redundancy process fairly and within the law, you can use our free Redundancy Rights Checker.

Employers often prefer to offer voluntary redundancy rather than compulsory because it is better for work morale if employees feel like they are not being made to take redundancy, but are being given the option.

Voluntary redundancy can be expensive for employees though, so even though they have offered it to everyone they might still decide to pick and choose who they allow to take it.

Your answers to the below questions should give you a good idea as to whether your employer is likely to choose you for redundancy.

1) Has Your Company Offered Voluntary Redundancy?

A) Yes, we have been asked to put our names forward
B) There are to be redundancies but voluntary redundancies have yet to be mentioned
C) No, but I know the company is in financial difficulty

2) Are You a Long-term Employee?

A) Yes, I have been at the company for over ten years
B) I have worked there for around five years
C) No, I am new

3) How Old Are You?

A) Over sixty
B) Around 50
C) Under 40

4) How Many Redundancies Need to be Made?

A) Around 30 -40% of workforce
B) Around 10-20% of workforce
C) Under 10% of workforce

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5) How Specialist is Your Role?

A) There are a number of people that do my job
B) A few of us do the same job
C) I am the only one that does my job

Your Answers

Your situation may be slightly different. ask a question below ↓ and our editorial team will reply with our advice.

Mostly A –You Stand a Good Chance

On paper you sound like you are the ideal candidate for voluntary redundancy. If you have been with the company a long time it will cost your employer more to offer you voluntary redundancy because they will have to give you a large payout. They may however prefer to offer you voluntary redundancy if you are thinking about winding down or retiring.

Offering voluntary redundancy to those that are looking to retire boosts the morale of the other workers and makes them feel more secure about their own role. If there is more than one person who can do your job you will be less of a necessity to your employer as they can rely on one of your colleagues to fill your role.

If they are looking to offload around 30-40% of the workforce through voluntary redundancy this will increase your chances of your application being accepted.

Mostly B - You Should Apply

You sound like you could be eligible for voluntary redundancy if this is what your company has planned. Not all employers will offer voluntary redundancy, even if there are redundancies on the cards. It is not a good idea to put yourself forward for voluntary redundancy until this has been officially been requested for by your employer.

If there are a couple of you that do the same job it will depend on how many people apply for voluntary redundancy, it may be that your employer has to choose between you all.

In this instance if the company wants to show employee loyalty and create a good feeling amongst the remaining workforce they will normally opt for the older candidates and those that have been with the company the longest. If you are not planning on retiring though you should be careful if you volunteer for redundancy late in life, as your chances of finding employment elsewhere could be reduced.

Mostly C – Your Chances Are Slim

Unfortunately it sounds like you are unlikely to be offered voluntary redundancy. Your colleagues are likely to be offered voluntary redundancy before you because they will have been there longer. If you are the only one that does your job your employer is likely to want to keep you. If you are new to the company your employer will be unlikely to offer you a large payout because you have not been with the company for a long time. Larger corporate companies will not always follow these guidelines and if they are keen to shed a lot of staff they will choose those where their roles double up.

It will ultimately be your employer that decides who they are willing to offer voluntary redundancy to. If your job is one of a kind it is less likely they will want to part with your skills, unless off course they are not needed anymore. If you apply for voluntary redundancy and are unsuccessful it may lead to an uncomfortable working atmosphere as they know you want to leave.

But for many voluntary redundancy offers a get out of jail free card and a hefty lump sum, for those who can find employment elsewhere.

The Next Step

Now that you have read through the advice above, you might want to put it into practice. Our Settlement Agreement Checker lets you describe the settlement agreement you have been offered and get guidance on whether it is fair. Find out what you could negotiate for. Try it now →

Showing 20 of 70 questions

Ask Redundancy Expert a Question

Mezcal 31/05/2021 at 9:17 am

Hi, I’ve worked as a TA for over 20 years in my current job and I’ve just turned 70.
As the school is restructuring staff, about 30% have been offered voluntary redundancy or re- application for a different post .
I think it’s obvious I should apply for voluntary redundancy, but they are asking for a good reason.
Earlier this year, I was negatively and unfairly criticised (after never having a problem in 20years) should I mention this or can you please help me with a suitable reason. Thanks

TAndo 02/05/2021 at 8:51 pm

Hello, I am employed by a large company. The role I am employed to do no longer exists and hasn’t done since June 2020. However I’ve temporarily been given a different role. I want to leave the company. Am I entitled to redundancy? The company are having a headcount reduction but voluntary redundancy hasn’t been offered to anyone. I know my boss wants me to stay and make the temporary role I’m doing permanent but I want to leave. Any advice would be welcomed.

E 26/02/2021 at 4:42 pm

Can someone please help with my query raised I have added again as no comments added by professional.
have been furloughed since the 6th April and I have not been asked to work at all, the whole time I have been off.I am on 80 % pay.worked for the company for over 30 years and I don't want to go back to either working from home or going back to the office. I would rather be made redundant, do I have any rights to make this happen, as I have been working there too long to just walk away with nothing. I do not feel that I could cope anymore with the pressure, if I was asked to return to work, and I been finding life challenging since covid hit and to add to this,on the day I was furloughed a family member who lived with me and my housemate died . Can you please let me know if redundancy is possible or not. Kind regards Elaine
E - 13-Feb-21 @ 12:04 AM

E 13/02/2021 at 12:04 am

I have been furloughed since the 6th April and I have not been asked to work at all, the whole time I have been off. I am on 80 % pay. worked for the company for over 30 years and I don't want to go back to either working from home or going back to the office. I would rather be made redundant, do I have any rights to make this happen, as I have been working there too long to just walk away with nothing.
I do not feel that I could cope anymore with the pressure, if I was asked to return to work, and I been finding life challenging since covid hit and to add to this, on the day I was furloughed a family member who lived with me and my housemate died .

Can you please let me know if redundancy is possible or not.

Kind regards
Elaine

LB 01/02/2021 at 7:13 pm

I am in the exact same situation .... what was the outcome? Many thanks

JG 08/12/2020 at 10:49 am

My employer has offered voluntary redundancy. I've asked for it and it has been denied as "my skills and talent are important for the business".

However, my role is being made redundant, and they want me to move into a different role that I don't want.

Do I have any option to force them to let me go in these circumstances? (by no accepting the move, for example)

Angelsshare 22/10/2020 at 10:59 am

I am currently on furlough (working two half-days per week) from my full-time position. My employer has had a meeting with me and informed me that after furlough ends I will be staying on the two half-days as my normal hours for at least the next few months. I have indicated that these are not enough hours for me to pay my bills and was told that Voluntary Redundancy was available. I have worked for the company for the last 6 years full-time. What is the process for me to request Voluntary Redundancy and what is the minimum payment I would receive?

Davie 07/03/2020 at 12:55 am

I work for an FE college in Glasgow. People interested in voluntary severance were asked to apply which I did. I’m 67 years old and a Senior Lecturer and presently on a phased retirement scheme but didn’t say when I would retire. I have been refused voluntary severance with no explanation as to why. I currently work only 3 days a week. Can my employer legally refuse my application after asking for volunteers?

VR query 07/05/2019 at 1:48 pm

I am a Local Government employee. My employer has declared it's intent to make a work colleague compulsory redundant - she is devastated. She is disliked intently by the manager who a few months ago actually told the team that "one way or another, she had to go" - so the compulsory redundancy notice is of no surprise. Incidentally, her role is not being made redundant - it's being shared out amongst her(subordinate) staff. I carry out broadly the same role as my colleague (heading up a second team) and on the same grade. I have requested a 'bumped (voluntary) redundancy' whereby I would take the redundancy and my colleague would take my post. I was asked by my employer to provide evidence that in terms of knowledge, skills and experience, my colleague and I are a direct match. Our employer has accepted we are a KSE match (there are no other colleagues who are a match) but has subsequently declined the request for a bumped redundancy on the basis that I "...have a certain something that goes beyond KSE that they can't do without". Clearly, allowing the requested bumped redundancy would not provide the desired effect (i.e. to get rid of the employee that is disliked so intently by the manager). Incidentally, there's no capability issue it's just a clash of personality. My query is can the employer decline a VR request from Employee 2 simply in order to get rid of employee 2 via a compulsory redundancy?

toffee 24/04/2019 at 8:10 am

about 8 months ago all in my department were put "at risk" and we went through selection processes with some people being made redundant. I survived that exercise but now it looks like the same thing is going to happen again. Is there a time limit that says you cannot be put at risk again inside say, 12 months? Is there any law I should be aware of that controls how many times the company can review the need for a particular role?

Jane 13/04/2019 at 1:35 pm

My work place is currently going through staff restructure and voluntary redundancies were an option. My request for VR was rejected as my pension costs could not be met. I am now being forced into an interview for a job I no longer want against people who do want a job knowing that one of us will still be made redundant. If I score the lowest the head will have no choice but to make me redundant with full pension. If I dont score the lowest someone else will be made redundant. My question is, am I legally bound to attend the interview and where would I stand if I didn't? Would he then have to make me redundant anyway or is it a sackable offence?

Steve 13/04/2019 at 12:53 pm

I have worked for Bt for 31 years and they were offering voluntary redundancies which I applied for but was rejected as they said I had a unique set of skills. They are now saying that I have to reapply for my job but with no company car and I will have to work in an office 45 miles away (I am currently a home worker). Are they obliged to give me a redundancy package?

FUS289 25/03/2019 at 11:51 pm

Hi, Very informative website, I have been offered Voluntary Redundancy aged 59 with18 years in the same job also offered as part of my redundancy reduced hours from 5 days to 3 days per week keeping same pension rights and my job but only 3 days per week which leaves me short of £200 per week on my salary.
I have also the option taking early flexible retirement keep my 3 day job take some of my pension but forgo the redundancy payment for the loss if the 2 days. Any advice you could give would be appreciated. Thanks

Carole 03/02/2019 at 11:37 pm

Hello,

My workplace asked for people to volunteer for redundancy but said it would select people based on job roles, not salary. My department was told that we were excluded from being allowed to apply for VR. However one member of the team applied anyway and was accepted. The deadline for applying for VR has now passed but I feel that we have been lied to since someone in our team did get it. My boss has told me that I would be rejected if I applied but do I have any rights in this situation? I have a lot of years service so taking VR would work out ok for me financially.

Thanks
Carole

Benny 13/11/2018 at 7:34 pm

Hi My company were looking for volunteers for voluntary redundancy as a cost saving exercise. I applied for redundancy but was refused due to being "too important to the business " as I am a loyal and high performing employee. Other managers who applied were accepted! Do I have a case to appeal as my reason for refusal was they didn't want to loose me? So do I now resign or appeal?

SeekingAdvice 12/11/2018 at 11:37 am

Hi there,

Recently, the company I work for announced that they will be restructuring the marketing team and that all of us should re apply for jobs in the new structure. There didn't ask for voluntary redundancy, they only said there are 3 less jobs in the new team. In the new structure, there is no similar title to the one I have (only higher or lower) and also my specialisation in my current role has been removed in the new structure. ultimately, if i apply for a role I will be doing a different job (will not be specialised to what I am doing currently) and will lose my title and my direct report. Also, there is a manager who was in the similar position as myself and he asked for redundancy and got it. I have also asked for redundancy but they have refused because they say that my job description has many similarities to the new job descriptions and that taking away my direct report and managerial responsibility is not a significant change which I believe is. In addition, my job description is very specific to what I do today but the new job description is very vague and not focused in one area/specific focus. Can you please advise what to do? I do not want to be demoted by applying to a job that is a level under and also not to work on projects that are not my specialisation. I am thinking to get a solicitor and I am also writing them a letter to explain again the reasons I put myself forward for redundancy. Thank you so much.

Lurch 18/07/2018 at 6:49 pm

2 months ago my company asked for voluntary redundancies.i offered but was refused.im 64.about to go part time 3 days could they make me redundant and only pay pro rata redundancyNO

RedundancyExpert Editor 15/06/2018 at 12:14 pm

In the first instance, you may wish to question your manager's motivations either informally or through a grievance procedure if you feel you are being undermined, You cannot ask for voluntary redundancy if your job still exists and no suggestion of voluntary redundancy has previously been made.

Bingo 12/06/2018 at 9:17 am

I am a senior manager in a UK business, successfully leading a team of 60 for the past 4 years. My manager is trying to fundamentally change my role, removing responsibilities, and assigning me duties that i don't want to do (i.e. i wouldn't have applied for a job doing these duties). He is saying that team morale is low although when asked to substantiate his comments he can't/won't. Other managers have also been assigned into my team, at the same grade as me, taking the management team from 1 (me) to 5. i am confident that there is no need for 5 of us at the same grade. I have 19 years service; can i request voluntary redundancy, or is this more akin to constructive dismissal?

PETE Editor 04/06/2018 at 3:32 pm

@KS - you'd have to be able to prove it!

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