Redundancy Appeal

[Eliza70]

Hi, I have appealed the decision to make me redundant and have been notified of the meeting. Our policy states that those hearing the appeal should be "senior to, or independent of" those who took the decision to make me redundant.

The CEO and a Director (so top person and one level below) took the decision. There are two people on the appeal panel one is above the CEO and one is below the CEO (another Director). Does this meet the criteria above?

Well the one above is 'senior to' both the initial decision makers, and the other one is presumably 'independent of', as in was not involved in the original decision.

Do you feel they don't meet the criteria?

I wasn't sure about the other director doing it. I know she wasn't involved in the decision, but I thought she might have to be a bit more independent. I'd thought it would be two people above CEO level/an "outsider".

Thanks for all your advice by the way - you're a star!

Difficult to see how she could more 'more' independent than not having been involved, and in most organisations there probably wouldn't be two people above CEO, so I think your panel is fine tbh.

There is a board of directors above the CEO so there are about eight people 'senior' to her.

The other director is a member of the senior managment team (with the CEO and other Director so I don't actually think she is that independent really, I'm assuming the redundancy was discussed in planning and senior management meetings.

It sounds fine to me, unless you have a specific reason to think the second person has had input or will not be fair in some way. Just the fact that she is another senior manager isn't enough to complain about her inclusion imo.