Discretionary Voluntary Redundancy

This page explains the steps managers must follow when an employee expresses an interest in voluntary redundancy, from the initial notification through to the final decision.

When an employee expresses an interest

You will receive an automated email from ServiceNow when an employee submits an expression of interest in voluntary redundancy.

Follow the instructions and guidance in the email to start the manager review process.

Arrange a consultation meeting

Offer to meet with the employee for a one-to-one consultation meeting to discuss their expression of interest.

The employee can be accompanied by a:

• recognised trade union representative
• work colleague

If the employee does not want to meet with you or another senior manager, ask them to confirm in writing that they were offered a meeting and declined it.

Complete the following form as part of the meeting:

Complete the manager assessment

Complete all sections of the Discretionary Voluntary Redundancy Manager Assessment Form (DOCX, 30.88KB)

Discuss the expression of interest with your Assistant Director or nominated representative using the manager assessment form as a guide.

During the discussion:

• review the expression of interest and manager assessment
• complete the management rationale
• sign the form to confirm it has been reviewed

To submit the completed assessment form:

• select the ticket number in the ServiceNow email
• upload the completed assessment form
• save the ticket to submit it through ServiceNow

How decisions are made

The expression of interest is reviewed by the Director and Strategic HR Business Partner.

Their recommendation is then considered by a panel reviewing all applications from across the Council before being referred to the Chief Executive (Head of Paid Service) for a final decision.

The Chief Executive considers the expression of interest against the criteria set out in the Discretionary Voluntary Redundancy Scheme (DOCX, 678.00KB)

The decision of the Chief Executive is final. There is no right of appeal against voluntary redundancy decisions made under the scheme.

If an expression of interest is approved

The employee will receive written confirmation if their application has been accepted.

They must accept the voluntary redundancy offer in writing within 14 days of receiving the confirmation. If they do not respond within this period, the offer will be withdrawn.

Nothing is final until the employee has received the voluntary redundancy offer and returned their signed acceptance.

Once a signed acceptance has been received, you will be notified and should meet with the employee to agree leaving arrangements.

This may include:

• handing over work
• returning Council property

The following guidance is available to support these discussions:

If an expression of interest is not approved

The employee will receive written confirmation that their expression of interest has not been approved.

You will also be notified and should meet with the employee to discuss:

• available support
• development opportunities
• alternative options, including flexible retirement or early retirement

Support for employees

Support and guidance are available throughout the process.

You can direct employees to:

• the redundancy calculator (XLS, 64.5KB), provides a broad indication of potential figures
• Human Resources
• their trade union representative

Employees in temporary roles

If an employee is acting up or seconded to another role, their voluntary redundancy application is based on their substantive post.

Their substantive post would also need to be deleted for the application to meet the value-for-money criteria.

When a role cannot be deleted

If an employee's substantive post cannot be deleted, consider whether:

• a vacancy elsewhere in the service could be deleted instead
• functions within the service could be rearranged to allow the employee to leave through voluntary redundancy

This should be considered in line with the requirements of the voluntary redundancy scheme.