HR consultancy service

Restructuring and redundancy

Planning and running a fair redundancy or reorganisation for Irish employers: selection, consultation, statutory calculations, letters, meetings and support for everyone affected.

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What it is

Nobody starts a business in order to let people go. But a lost contract, a site closure, new technology or a merger can leave you with roles the business no longer needs, and usually not much time. You are trying to protect the company, treat people decently and stay inside the law, often while keeping the plan from colleagues you have worked beside for years. The danger usually lies less in the decision than in a rushed process: no real consultation, selection nobody can explain, or a payment calculated wrongly.

We plan the process with you before anyone is told, then help you run it. That covers the business case, the selection pool and criteria, the consultation timetable, statutory redundancy and notice calculations, every letter and meeting script, and the collective redundancy rules where the numbers trigger them. We also help you support the people who leave and steady the people who stay.

The HR practice is led by a consultant with a master's degree in human resource management. Scope, fee and timings are agreed in writing before any work starts.

What you get

  • A written business case and a step by step plan with dates, before anyone is told
  • Fair, objective selection criteria and a scoring method you can explain to each person
  • A consultation timetable, including the 30 day collective redundancy rules where they apply
  • Statutory redundancy and minimum notice calculations for every affected employee
  • Every letter, meeting script and manager briefing, written for your situation
  • Support for leavers and a communication plan for the colleagues who stay
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How it runs

Four steps, agreed in writing.

  1. 01

    First call

    A confidential conversation about what is changing, which roles are affected, how many people and by when. We tell you early if the numbers may amount to a collective redundancy. Scope, fee and timings are then confirmed in writing before any work starts.

  2. 02

    Plan and criteria

    We write up the business reasons, look at alternatives such as redeployment or reduced hours, define the selection pool and criteria, and build the timetable. Statutory redundancy and minimum notice are calculated for each person, so you know the cost before you decide.

  3. 03

    Consultation and meetings

    We prepare the announcement, the at risk letters, the consultation meeting scripts and the notes, and we brief the managers who will hold the meetings. We can attend with you. Suggestions from employees are considered and answered in writing before any decision is confirmed.

  4. 04

    Exit and aftercare

    We prepare the notice letters and the written statement of each payment, and help leavers with references, CVs and, where it suits, an introduction to FH's recruitment consultants. Afterwards we help you brief the remaining team and review how the process went.

Questions

What employers ask us.

General information for Irish employers, checked against official sources in October 2026.

FH Recruitment provides HR advice and practical support. We are not a law firm and we do not give legal advice. Where a matter needs a solicitor we will tell you, and we are happy to work alongside yours.

How is statutory redundancy calculated in Ireland?

According to the Workplace Relations Commission, an employee aged 16 or over with 104 weeks' continuous service in fully insurable employment is entitled to two weeks' gross pay for each year of service plus one further week, with weekly pay capped at €600. The statutory payment is not taxed. Those figures apply as of October 2026. Citizens Information adds that some absences do not count as reckonable service, and that the employer should give the employee a written statement showing how the payment was worked out. We prepare the calculation for each person and check it against the Department of Social Protection's redundancy calculator.

When does a redundancy become a collective redundancy?

According to the Workplace Relations Commission, as of October 2026 the Protection of Employment Acts 1977 to 2024 treat it as collective where, in any 30 consecutive days, you propose 5 or more redundancies with 21 to 49 people normally employed, 10 or more with 50 to 99, 10% or more with 100 to 299, or 30 or more with 300 or more. You must then consult employee representatives for at least 30 days before the first notice of dismissal and notify the Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. Nobody can be made redundant until 30 days after that notification.

How do we choose who is made redundant?

You choose the criteria, but according to Citizens Information, as of October 2026, you must be able to prove they are fair, reasonable and used consistently, and follow any method agreed with a trade union or set out in the contract. Selection based on pregnancy, trade union membership or any of the nine discrimination grounds, such as age, gender or race, is not allowed. We help you define the pool, write objective criteria and score them with evidence. This is HR advice, not legal advice. If a claim goes to the Workplace Relations Commission, we prepare you and the paperwork and work alongside your solicitor.

How much notice must we give an employee who is being made redundant?

It depends on service. According to Citizens Information, as of October 2026 the minimum is 1 week for service between 13 weeks and 2 years, 2 weeks for 2 to 5 years, 4 weeks for 5 to 10 years, 6 weeks for 10 to 15 years and 8 weeks for more than 15 years. The contract may give more. Notice should be in writing with the finishing date, and it starts only when that is given, not when someone is told they are at risk. Employees are also entitled to paid time off in their last two weeks of notice to look for a new job.

What does redundancy support cost?

It depends on the scope: the number of roles affected, whether the collective redundancy rules apply, how many meetings you want us to prepare or attend, and whether you want support for leavers afterwards. After a confidential first call we set out the scope, the fee and the timings in writing. No work starts until you have agreed that document, and if the plan changes along the way, the change to the scope and fee is agreed in writing before we continue.

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Talk it through with an HR consultant.

Tell us what is happening. We will contact you within one working day, and no work starts until you have agreed a written scope and fee.

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