Dismissal for Redundancy Letter checklist

Read the document to make sure it meets your needs. Remember that if you have any questions you can easily Ask a lawyer.

You should sign your Dismissal for Redundancy Letter. You can either sign your Letter online or in print, unless your employee’s employment contract specifies that you must sign in print. 

Signing online

1. You can sign online using RocketSign.

Signing in print

1. Print a copy of your Dismissal for Redundancy Letter.

2. Sign and date your Letter.

The Dismissal for Redundancy Letter is a formal notice which must be served properly.

You can usually serve your Dismissal for Redundancy Letter in various ways, as long as you ensure your employee receives it. The safest way to serve a notice is to deliver it in person. Failing this, you can send your Letter by courier, post, or email. To serve your Letter:

• in person - hand the Letter to the employee face-to-face.

• by post - use recorded (ie tracked) delivery and keep a copy of the proof of posting and delivery. Check you have the employee’s latest address.

• by email - send your Letter to the employee’s email address, ideally by signing the Letter online and then attaching a copy of it to your email. It’s a good idea to request a ‘read receipt’ as proof of service.

You should always check an employee’s employment contract before sending them a Dismissal for Redundancy Letter. Employment contracts may specify that Letters (or ‘notices’) regarding employment must be sent to the employee in a specific way (or cannot be sent in a specific way). For example, a contract may state that you cannot serve Letters by email. You must follow any such requirements to ensure that your Letter is valid.

Keep a copy of the Dismissal for Redundancy Letter for your records. A copy of the Letter will be stored automatically in your Rocket Lawyer account ‘Dashboard’.

You should also: 

• download a copy of the email that was sent and any attachments together with any ‘read receipts’, if you emailed the Letter.

• keep a copy of the signed Letter that was sent and anything else that was sent with it, if you posted or hand-delivered the Letter.

It is respectful and demonstrates good practice to, where possible, tell the employee in person that they’re being dismissed due to redundancy before you deliver them a Dismissal for Redundancy Letter.

You should also make sure you follow fair procedure throughout the redundancy process, including by ensuring employees are aware of their appeal rights.