Is Communication Undermining Your Redundancy Process?

Quick Summary

 

• Communication is more than a delivery tactic: it’s a strategic lever that protects your culture during restructuring. 
• Leadership alignment is non-negotiable. A fractured message damages credibility internally and externally. 
• Delay breeds uncertainty. Silence creates space for rumours, fear, and disengagement. 
• The way you treat leavers speaks volumes. Outplacement isn’t about exit, it’s about brand, trust, and integrity. 

 

Introduction

 

A redundancy process isn’t just a legal event, it’s a leadership challenge.  

HR Directors know the process, but what defines success isn’t compliance. It’s communication. But what does good communication during the redundancy process look like? 

This blog, with input from Chiumento’s Executive Chairman, Ian Gooden, explores the often-overlooked comms strategy that can make or break how your organisation emerges. 

 

Is Communication Failing Your Redundancy Process? 

 

Senior HR professionals don’t need to be reminded of their legal obligations within the redundancy process. 

We know what consultation looks like. 

We know the timelines.  

We’ve probably got a checklist and a calendar already mapped out. That part of the redundancy process is rarely missed. 

But is legal compliance enough? 

In our experience at Chiumento, it’s the communication strategy. Not just the redundancy process. That makes or breaks how a business emerges from a round of redundancies.  

Compliance protects you from legal risk.  

Communication protects your culture, your credibility, and your relationships, with customers, suppliers, and the people who stay behind.  

And too often, that part gets overlooked. 

 

We’ve Consulted. But What Have We Said? 

 

Most consultation happens one-to-one. But the ripple effect of the redundancy process is organisation-wide. 

Someone says, “I’ve been put into consultation.” Someone else replies, “I didn’t know that.” Someone else says, “Must mean we’re going under.” 

Now there’s a whisper campaign, and the official message hasn’t even landed yet. 

People left in the dark will write their own version of events. That’s not insubordination, it’s human nature. (Change Management: A Guide, CIPD) 

That’s why getting ahead with a clear, strategic narrative is so important. The wider comms plan needs to answer the big question on everyone’s mind: Why is this happening? Not “who” or “when” or “how many”, but why.  

 

Why Internal Comms Must Be Proactive 

 

Individuals will write their own version of events in silence. That’s not resistance — it’s human nature. The only way to prevent this is to get ahead with clear, organisation-wide messaging. 

And what it means for those staying as much as those leaving. 

 

Is Your Leadership Team Aligned? Or Just Complying? 

 

A good comms strategy doesn’t start with a script—it starts with a sense-check.  

Is everyone on the leadership team really on board with the story? Can they speak to it with conviction? Or are some quietly disassociating? 

I remember watching a Chiumento team member lead a session with a client’s operational leaders several years ago. It was a room of around 50 senior managers.  

One of them said, “We’re all on board.”  

But then another said, “I’m not.”  

Then three more followed suit. 

Straight away, our team member made the point that’s stuck with me ever since:  

“Why are we going to get them to deliver a message if they don’t believe it?” 

Because if they don’t believe it, they’ll deliver it badly.  

If they deliver it badly, they’ll step away from it. And once they disown the message, that only adds fuel to the fire. 

She said: “If someone can’t speak to the script, don’t give them the script.” 

Instead, you look them in the eye and ask: “Are you up for this?”  

And if they’re not, they shouldn’t be part of the comms plan. 

Because what you absolutely can’t afford is someone stepping up to deliver the message and immediately stepping away from it. “Don’t shoot the messenger” might feel like self-preservation, but it’s not leadership. 

Worse, it’s a fast track to breaking trust. If those at the top aren’t confident and united, how can you expect anyone else to be? 

 

Key Question for HRDs: Are Your Leaders Owning the Message? 

 

A script is not enough. You need belief, conviction, and consistency from your leadership team — or the message will fall flat. 

Here’s a scenario I’ve seen more than once: 

Someone in a customer-facing role is put at risk.  

That person has deep relationships with key clients who believe they deal with them, not the company.  

The client hears (informally) that they’re leaving. And they start thinking about leaving too. 

Not because they’re disloyal. But because nobody’s explained the plan. There’s no handover in place. No clear message. And no reassurance. 

Too often, we leave these conversations to chance. A great employee feels aggrieved and shares that frustration with a customer.  

Now your customer is questioning your judgment and your integrity. 

That’s why communication isn’t just an internal priority. It needs to include clients, suppliers, partners, anyone with something to lose.  

And it needs to be timed right. Too soon, and it adds fuel to speculation. Too late, and you lose control of the story.
Clients, suppliers, and partners are part of your ecosystem.

Failing to explain your plan to them can have just as much impact as failing internally. 

 

Treating People Well Pays Off, Even After They Leave 

 

There’s always a group of people who, during a consultation period, choose to leave voluntarily. Some are scared they’ll be next. Others go in solidarity.  

Either way, you risk losing more talent than you intended. 

That’s why your wider communication – how you treat people, how you speak to the business, what you offer to those affected – matters so much. 

Offering support with outplacement services can be a turning point. It shows you’re taking your duty of care seriously. That you’re not just meeting the legal minimum but offering something more.  

And people notice. 

Those who stay see that their colleagues are being treated with respect.  

Clients see an organisation that takes its responsibilities seriously.  

Even those leaving are more likely to stay engaged, contribute to handovers, and leave on good terms if they feel they’ve been supported.

Outplacement isn’t a box to tick. It signals how you treat people — and what those who remain can expect going forward. 

 

One Clear Message. One Clean Cut. 

 

Another common pitfall is trying to soften the blow with phased cuts.  

A few now, maybe more later. But multiple waves of redundancy rarely reduce the pain; they extend it. 

The uncertainty becomes corrosive. Morale drains. Productivity drops. People go into self-preservation mode. 

As a former boss of mine said: if you have to cut, cut once, and slightly deeper than you think. That’s stuck with me.  

Because you’ll almost always find you can’t let go of everyone you initially planned to.  

Clients push back. Key talent becomes harder to replace. Priorities shift. 

Better to do it once with clarity than drag it out indefinitely. 

Multiple rounds extend pain, uncertainty, and disengagement. If cuts are needed, make them decisively — and communicate clearly. 

 

Communication Is the Real Differentiator 

 

Redundancy will always carry risk. (Employment Tribunal Decisions, GOV.UK) 

Get the legal process wrong, and you’ll end up in court. 

But get the communication right, and you come out stronger. 

So the real question is: what’s the story you’re telling your people, your customers, and the wider market? 

Because when everything feels uncertain, a well-crafted, well-delivered message can make all the difference. 

And outplacement? That’s not just a line item in the budget. It’s a signal of how seriously you take your people, even when they’re leaving. 

 

So, What’s the Story You’re Telling? 

 

In every redundancy, there’s an opportunity to lead — or to lose trust.  

HRDs who approach communication as a strategic tool, not an afterthought, will protect culture, reputation, and people. 

 

Need Support? 

 

If you’re planning a restructure or simply want to sense-check your redundancy comms strategy, we’d be happy to help. 

At Chiumento, we’ve spent decades supporting organisations through change. We’ve learned that what you say, when you say it, and who says it can shape how your business is remembered. 

➡️ Facing a workforce change? Get in touch with us today.