You've just been told your role is at risk of redundancy. Your employer has invited you to a consultation meeting. Your head is spinning, and you're not sure what to say.
The questions you ask at this meeting matter. They can reveal whether the process is fair, expose mistakes your employer has made, and put you in a much stronger position if you need to negotiate later.
Here's what to ask and why it matters.
What is a redundancy consultation meeting?
A redundancy consultation meeting is a formal meeting where your employer discusses the planned redundancy with you. It's supposed to be a genuine, two-way conversation. Not a one-way announcement.
Your employer has to consult with you before making a final decision. This isn't optional. For individual redundancies, consultation is required for the dismissal to be fair under ERA 1996, s.98(4). If your employer is making 20 or more people redundant within 90 days, there are additional collective consultation requirements under TULRCA 1992, s.188.
The whole point of consultation is that your employer must genuinely consider ways to avoid the redundancy, reduce the number of redundancies, and limit the impact on you. If they've already made up their mind before the meeting starts, the consultation is a sham.
Can I bring someone with me?
Yes, and you should. Under the ACAS Code of Practice, your employer should allow you to bring a companion to redundancy consultation meetings. This can be a work colleague or a trade union representative.
The statutory right to be accompanied under the Employment Relations Act 1999, s.10 technically applies to disciplinary and grievance hearings. But most employers extend this to redundancy meetings as a matter of good practice. If your employer refuses to let you bring someone, make a note of it. It's another process failure you can raise later.
Your companion can take notes, support you, and help you think clearly. Redundancy meetings are stressful. Having someone else in the room makes a real difference.
The questions you should ask
Here are the specific questions to put to your employer, broken down by category. You don't need to ask all of them, but pick the ones that matter most to your situation.
About the reason for redundancy
1. "Why is my role being made redundant?"
Your employer needs a genuine business reason. They should be able to explain clearly what has changed, whether that's a restructure, a drop in demand, a budget cut, or a change in technology. If they can't give you a clear answer, that's a concern.
2. "What has changed that means this role is no longer needed?"
This is a follow-up to the first question. You want specifics. If the work you do is still being done by someone else, the redundancy may not be genuine.
3. "Has the decision already been made?"
This is one of the most important questions you can ask. If the answer is yes, or if it becomes obvious from their response that it has, the consultation is not genuine. A sham consultation is a serious process failure.
About the selection pool
4. "Who else is in the selection pool?"
Your employer should be able to tell you which roles were included in the pool. The pool should cover everyone doing similar work, not just you and one other person.
5. "How was the pool decided?"
If the pool is suspiciously narrow, or if it only includes you, that's a red flag. The pool should be based on the type of work being done, not on who the employer wants to get rid of. A badly defined pool is a common sign of unfair selection.
About selection criteria and scoring
6. "What criteria were used to select who would be made redundant?"
The criteria should be objective and measurable. Things like skills, qualifications, performance records, and attendance are fair. Vague criteria like "attitude" or "cultural fit" are not.
7. "Can I see my scores?"
You have every right to ask for this. If your employer refuses to share your scores, that's a significant red flag. A fair employer should be transparent. If they're hiding the scoring, it may be because it doesn't stand up to scrutiny. Read more about what fair criteria look like in our guide to unfair redundancy selection criteria.
8. "How were the criteria applied? Who did the scoring?"
You want to know whether the scoring was done by one person or moderated by others. Single-scorer systems are more vulnerable to personal bias.
About alternatives
9. "Are there any alternative roles available in the business?"
Your employer has a duty to consider whether there's suitable alternative employment for you. This includes roles at the same level, roles in other departments, and roles at other locations. If they haven't looked, that's a process failure.
10. "Have you considered redeployment?"
Similar to the question above, but more direct. You're asking whether they've actively tried to find you another role, not just whether they'll let you apply if something comes up.
11. "Can I be considered for any vacancies that arise during the notice period?"
This keeps the door open. Your employer should agree to this as a matter of course.
About the package
12. "What redundancy pay will I receive?"
Get the number in writing. Make sure you understand whether this is just statutory redundancy pay or whether there's an enhanced scheme. There's a big difference. See our guide on statutory vs enhanced redundancy pay for more on this.
13. "Is there an enhanced redundancy scheme?"
Many employers offer more than the statutory minimum, either through company policy or as part of a negotiation. If they say no, that doesn't mean you can't negotiate for more.
14. "What will happen with my notice period, accrued holiday, and any bonus entitlements?"
These are all separate from your redundancy pay and they all add up. Make sure nothing gets quietly dropped.
About the process and timeline
15. "How many consultation meetings will there be?"
A fair process usually involves at least two or three meetings. If your employer plans to do everything in a single meeting, that's unlikely to be sufficient for genuine consultation.
16. "What is the timeline for this process?"
You need to know how long you have. For collective redundancies of 20 to 99 people, consultation must start at least 30 days before the first dismissal. For 100 or more, it's 45 days. Even for individual redundancies, the process shouldn't be rushed.
Take notes and follow up in writing
This is not optional. Take notes at every meeting.
Write down what was said, what questions you asked, and what answers you got. If your employer says something important, note the exact words if you can.
After each meeting, send a follow-up email summarising what was discussed. Something like: "Thank you for the meeting today. I want to confirm my understanding of what was discussed." Then list the key points.
This does two things. First, it creates a written record. If things go wrong later, you'll have evidence of exactly what happened. Second, it forces your employer to correct anything you've got wrong, which means they can't change their story later.
If you've brought a companion, ask them to take notes too. Two sets of notes are better than one.
What if the consultation feels like a rubber stamp?
Sometimes you walk into a consultation meeting and it's obvious that the decision has already been made. The manager reads from a script. Your questions get vague answers. There's no real discussion.
If this is happening to you, don't panic. A sham consultation is actually one of the strongest cards you can hold.
A consultation that's just going through the motions is a process failure. Under the principles established in Polkey v AE Dayton Services [1987], a failure to follow a fair process can make the dismissal unfair, even if the redundancy itself is genuine.
That means your employer has a problem. And their problem is your leverage.
If the consultation wasn't genuine, you have grounds for an unfair dismissal claim. Most employers would rather improve your package than fight that claim at a tribunal. So raise it calmly, factually, and in writing. You might want to use a without prejudice letter to open negotiations.
For collective redundancies, the stakes are even higher. If your employer failed to collectively consult under TULRCA 1992, s.188, affected employees can claim a protective award of up to 180 days' gross pay (effective from April 2026 under the Employment Rights Act 2025). That's a significant amount of money, and your employer knows it.
What to do next
Go into your consultation meeting prepared. Print out the questions that matter to your situation. Bring a companion. Take notes.
If you spot process failures, don't raise them aggressively in the meeting. Note them down. They're ammunition for later, when you negotiate your package.
If your employer didn't consult you at all, read our guide on what to do when your employer skipped consultation. If the selection criteria look unfair, that's another angle.
The consultation meeting is your chance to gather information, test the process, and build your case. Use it.
This article is general guidance about UK redundancy rights. It's not legal advice and shouldn't be treated as a substitute for advice from a qualified employment solicitor.