There’s one employment law story dominating the headlines this week, and it’s P&O’s decision to sack 800 staff with zero notice.
And in case you’re wondering what P&O did wrong, it’s NOT the fact that they made a business decision that they needed to let all of those staff members go – P&O have likely struggled as much as anyone during the last two years, and it’s no surprise they’re having to turn to redundancy to keep going.
So what’s the problem?
Simple, a complete failure to follow a proper process – they seem to have just told everyone, with no warning, “You are redundant”.
A lot of the businesses we speak to feel that this is the “best way” to deal with a situation like this, akin to “ripping the plaster off”, as if getting it done quickly is best for all parties.
They’re wrong.
It might be best for THEM, in the short term, but it’s quite clearly NOT best for the employees, who have zero time to adjust to the new reality and suddenly lose their livelihood in one fell swoop.
And in case you’re wondering, employment law is firmly on the side of the employees in this.