The challenge
Sometimes a business ends up in a position it never planned for. Financial pressure. A major contract lost. Or, increasingly, technology changing what the work actually requires. AI is the one every business is talking about right now. A law firm found itself here. Changes driven by AI meant the firm had to let go several junior staff members, along with a couple of longer serving people. Two things had to be handled correctly at the same time. What the Fair Work Act requires. And treating people like human beings while it happens.
Our approach
- We talked first. We sat down with all staff and explained what was happening and why. Everyone heard it directly, in the room, at the same time.
- We met each person individually. We held one on one conversations with every employee being let go. Each conversation covered what came next and what the firm could do to ease their transition.
- We organised outplacement support. Nobody left without help finding their next role.
- We got the entitlements right. Every entitlement was checked and correct before anyone finished up.
- We kept people informed the whole way through. Full support, start to finish. Everyone knew what was happening at every stage. No surprises.
The outcome
On the day they finished up, the firm held a farewell dinner. It was sad. Nobody pretends otherwise. But every person who left did so knowing they had received their correct entitlements and that a support process had stood behind them the entire time. The firm and its departing staff parted ways on good terms.
The takeaway
Redundancy is never easy. Handled properly, it does not have to leave damage behind it. The legal obligations and the human ones point in the same direction. Genuine consultation, correct entitlements, and honest communication protect the business and the people at the same time.
