Redundancy selection criteria

Criteria come after the pool

Selection criteria compare employees doing work within a reasonable selection pool. They cannot repair a pool drawn to target one person or exclude genuinely interchangeable roles. Explain why the pool reflects the work reducing and consult on both the pool and proposed criteria before scoring is final.

The Acas selection guidance gives examples such as skills, qualifications, performance, attendance and disciplinary record. Each measure still needs a clear business reason and dependable evidence.

Make each score answerable

Define what every score means, the period assessed and the record that supports it. “Attitude”, “fit” and manager preference are too vague. Weighting should reflect the future work rather than being adjusted after managers see who scores poorly.

Two trained scorers or a moderation check can expose inconsistent assumptions. Share enough information for employees to understand and challenge their own score without exposing colleagues' confidential records.

Test the result before deciding

Check totals, evidence and consistency, then look at the result for possible direct or indirect discrimination. Consider reasonable adjustments to the scoring process and whether a criterion disadvantages a protected group without objective justification.

Consult each provisionally selected employee, correct factual errors and consider alternatives, including suitable vacancies. Keep the pool rationale, definitions, evidence, moderation, equality check and responses. The matrix supports a decision; it should never turn consultation into a pre-written outcome.