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Question:

"We will shortly be announcing some redundancies and understand that we will have to submit an official form to a government department. We wish to get this form in advance and in confidence; that is to say without our employees getting wind of anything and without any officials contacting us and thereby letting the cat out of the bag. How can we arrange this?"

HR tip:

First, be aware that you need to warn your employees of the impending redundancies at the earliest opportunity, i.e., as soon as you are aware that there will indeed be redundancy. At this stage, you do not need to be too specific, but you do need to give people the opportunity to consider their future. If, as I suggest, you warn them immediately, then the confidentiality problem disappears.

However, you may obtain the Form HR1 in one of two ways. First by requesting a copy from the Publication Orderline on 0870 150 2500. You could have this sent to a home address to ensure confidentiality. Second by downloading it in PDF format from www.insolvency.gov.uk

When completed, the form should be posted or faxed to:

Redundancy Payments Office
Cobalt Square
83-85 Hagley Road
Birmingham B16 8QG
Tel: 0121 456 4411
Fax: 0121 455 0531
Email: [email protected]

You should also give a copy to your employee representatives. And rest assured that no official will make contact until the completed form has been submitted.

View all our HR tips:

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