Redundancy consultation letter (at risk of redundancy) template
A redundancy consultation letter, also called an at-risk letter, tells an employee in writing that their job may be made redundant and that consultation is starting. It explains why, who the organisation will consult, how long consultation will last and when the meetings are. It is sent to each affected employee after the first briefing and before any selection decision is made.
Adapted from Acas (4 March 2025). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
What changes each time
13 values. Everything else is your wording, kept exactly.
The employee and the proposal
- Letter date
- Employee name
- When the at-risk meeting was held
- Estimated number of redundancies
- Affected team
- Reason for the potential redundancies
Consultation
- Who the organisation will consult
- Name of the union or representative body
- Expected consultation length
- Consultation meetings planned
- When individual meeting invitations will be sent
Contacts
- Who to contact with queries
- Letter signed by
The rules it usually needs
Written in plain English when the template is set up.
- One of several wordings
“Who will we consult with: a recognised union or existing forum, elected employee representatives, or individual consultation.”
The business case named the existing Riverside Staff Forum, so the recognised union or forum wording was used, with the forum's name.
- Only when…
“The 45-day minimum consultation paragraph appears only when 100 or more redundancies are proposed.”
24 were proposed, so this paragraph was left out.
- Only when…
“The 30-day minimum consultation paragraph appears only when 20 or more and fewer than 100 redundancies are proposed.”
24 were proposed, so the 30-day paragraph was used.
- Only when…
“The 'no set period' paragraph appears only when fewer than 20 redundancies are proposed.”
24 were proposed, so this paragraph was left out.
- Once for each item
“One bullet for each consultation meeting in the timetable.”
The timetable had 4 meetings, so the letter lists 4 dated bullets.
One worked example, start to finish
The redundancy consultation letter (at risk of redundancy) in DocuWeave, from upload to approval.
1The document uploaded
The Acas letter informing an employee they are at risk of redundancy, a Word file, uploaded as it is.
- 2
The template it became
It found 8 sections and 15 values, and asked 7 questions before publishing. The consultation period paragraph is chosen by the number of redundancies.
3The paperwork dropped in
A restructure business case memo, the selection pool list, the consultation timetable and a typed note.
4What was found, with sources
12 of 12 values filled from the paperwork, each with the passage it came from.
5What it asked
2 things for a person: the affected team and the signatory, where the files disagreed.
6The approved output
Approved, with Word and PDF downloads of exactly what was approved.
A free redundancy consultation letter (at risk of redundancy) to download
- At-risk letter, filled with fictional details (Word)
- At-risk letter, filled with fictional details (PDF)
Use it as it is, or upload it to DocuWeave and make it a template.
DocuWeave is not a law firm. A general template for common situations in England and Wales. It is not tailored to you and we do not update it when the law changes, so check it suits your situation before you use it. Terms.
Adapted from Acas (4 March 2025). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Questions people ask
What is an at-risk of redundancy letter?
A letter that tells an employee their role may be made redundant and that consultation is starting. No decision has been made at this stage; the letter explains the reason and how the employee can take part.
How long must redundancy consultation last?
Where 20 to 99 redundancies are proposed at one establishment within 90 days, collective consultation must last at least 30 days before the first dismissal. For 100 or more it is 45 days. For fewer than 20 there is no set minimum, but consultation must still be genuine.
Who do you consult when making redundancies?
If a trade union is recognised, you consult the union. Otherwise you consult elected employee representatives or an existing forum, and you should also consult each affected employee individually.
Should every affected employee get their own letter?
Yes. Each employee whose job is at risk is usually sent a letter in the same terms, naming them, so each has a written record of the proposal and the consultation dates.
Can I use my own at-risk letter instead of this one?
Yes. Upload your own Word or PDF version and DocuWeave turns it into a template in your wording, with the same kind of rules and the same filling from paperwork.
Use this template
It opens in DocuWeave as a template you can check, change and publish. Nothing is used until you do.