Any HR people here - some advice would be appreciated

[TheSuspect2025]

We have a number of part time people working shift patterns and I need to stop some shifts to save money.
Can I just speak to the people who will be directly affected by this or do i need to put everyone at risk of redundancy to close down shifts and potentially lose one person?

I'd be very grateful for any advice - thanks.

Not HR but are they contracted for set shifts or flexible working? Do they have contracted hours or zero hours? Will everyone still be able to work with the new shifts?

Do you have an HR dept?

No we don’t.

@whynotmereally they’re contracted to provide a minimum amount of hours on certain days but also cover other shifts. As part of the proposed change, it’s likely one person will no longer have a job.

This is one where you really need detailed legal advice.

You have to show that you meet the statutory definition of a redundancy situation as outlined in S139 ERA 1996. Cost alone doesn’t meet the definition - it has to be a reduced need for employees to do work of a particular kind. You might achieve that through a restructure, but you also need to work out whether they are unique roles, or require pooling and scoring.

You need professional advice on this. It's way too high risk for you to handle by yourself. Most small firms have some kind of HR and legal advice service they call on for these issues, do you?

Contact ACAS, they will be able to advise you further.