News: Contract Law
Employment law training 'must help firms avoid redundancy pitfalls'
12 March 2009
Employment law training must highlight the pitfalls which can present problems for companies making redundancies, an expert asserts.
Martin Edwards, head of employment law at Mace and Jones, tells the BBC that the complexity of the area means that it can be easy to make expensive mistakes if businesses are not prepared.
He claims the compensation which can be due includes not only lost earnings but potential future losses, as well as the fact firms can find themselves targeted by the media.
"The cost of a tribunal case that goes badly wrong can be massive, and not just in terms of compensation or the cost of management time," he tells the news provider.
Mr Edwards identifies a number of potential problems facing businesses, including incorrectly believing someone is redundant when they are not so and being unfair in selection.
In addition, he says problems can occur through the consultation process and failing to take alternative courses of action into account.
Recently, HRZone.co.uk identified the limited options companies have in preventing workers moonlighting in second jobs, highlighting employment law training.
