Redundancy Support for Bolton Businesses

1. Support for Employers
2. Support for Employees
3. Useful links

Business Bolton are here to help you, please get in touch with us and we help sign post you a range of local, regional and national partners and services which could provide support and advice on redundancies.

1. Support for Employers

If you have to make redundancies, tailored support with the redundancy process is available through the Jobcentre Plus Rapid Response Service for you and your employees.

Support could include:

• guidance and support on making staff redundant
• support to help prepare your employees for redundancy - this support can be delivered on-site or by webinar and could cover the following areas;
  • helping people facing redundancy to write CVs and find jobs
  • providing general information about benefits
  • helping people to find the right training and learn new skills
  • helping with costs like travel to work expenses

How to get help

To find out how your business can use the Rapid Response Service, email rrs.enquiries@dwp.gov.uk and include:

• your contact details
• the town(s) your business is based in (including postcodes)
• the location(s) of the redundancies

2. Support for employees

There is a range of employee support which can be accessed through the Employer or independently, they include the following;

Skills to get back into work

The Skills Support for Redundancy (SSR) programme will ensure your employees get access to bespoke training and support them to find suitable employment.  Skills Support for Redundancy can help your employees to prepare for a new job, a new career or business start-up after redundancy. 

To be eligible for support, employees must be aged 16+, at risk of redundancy or recently made redundant, or on the government’s Job Retention Scheme.

Find out more at https://employgm.org/support-for-employers/redundancy/

Bolton College - can offer bespoke packages of training for people who are facing redundancy. If your staff are facing redundancy and need support to find a new job, their team can assist. With highly skilled tutors who have worked with many local employers and employees facing redundancy.  Go to  www.boltoncollege.ac.uk to find out more.

Career and training advice

The National Careers Service can help employees who have been made redundant make decisions on work, learning and training, so they can prepare for their next steps. Whether they’re looking to find a similar role elsewhere or are thinking of trying a new career path, the service can provide the support they need during this difficult time. If your employees need advice or support, please refer them to contact National Careers Service by visiting the National Careers Service website https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/ or calling 0800 100 900 to speak to an adviser.

Working Well Early Help – free occupational health support

If you find yourself in the difficult situation of being made redundant and feel you have got a health barrier to looking for new and continuous employment, Working Well Early Help can support you.

Support includes:

• Developing a return to work plan
• Health and wellbeing 
• Lifestyle changes
• Workplace adjustments
• Fast-track access to specialist treatment, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, physiotherapy, mental health and health coaching (within five working days)
• Free virtual information sessions detailing how we can help, as well as free access to helpful resources.

If you would like more information, get in touch with the team at by calling 0300 456 8107 (local rate call) or Email: workingwellearlyhelp@maximusuk.co.uk.

Redundancy help

A new Redundancy area has been set up on the Employment and Benefits Support website which is part of the Understanding UC website. which brings together information and advice for people who have been made redundant or who are at risk of it.

3. Useful Links for Employers and Employees:

• Employ GM - Have a dedicated support service which could help you with advice, guidance, skills support or long-term planning for you as an employer and for your staff if you need to make redunancies.  https://employgm.org/

• GC Business Growth Hub is #HereForBusiness in Greater Manchester. If you’re concerned about the impact that COVID-19 is having on your business and can help you navigate the latest government information and provide specialist advice.
  Go to businessgrowthhub.com/coronavirus or call: 0161 237 4128 (8am - 8pm - Monday to Friday, 9am - 1pm - Saturday and Sunday) www.businessgrowthhub.com

• Government support for businesses, including, restructuring and insolvency advice, financial assistance for employers unable to pay statutory redundancy payments. Go to https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/redundancy-support-for-employers and https://www.gov.uk/government/news/getting-help-if-your-business-is-in-distress

• ACAS has an online redundancy helpline. with help available for managing redundancies in your organisation and find ingout what your rights are if you're being made redundant.

• Citizens Advice can support those facing redundancy to understand their rights, address money worries, redundancy payments or retirement issues. Advisors are on hand to support individuals, answer questions and point you in the right direction.
  Visit: www.cabb.org.uk/  or call Tel: 03444 111 444.

• Financial support - if you are experiencing financial difficulty as a result of redundancy, please got to www.bolton.gov.uk to find out more about benefits and money advice support that may be available to you.

• Health and Wellbeing support - we know that this can be a worrying time and there are range of health and wellbeing support networks available to employers and employees who find themselves experiencing mental health issues, to find out more go to www.bolton.gov.uk. 

• Best Choices: Help for individuals with learning disabilities or mental health to access supported employment opportunities, Find out more here  

• If your job is at risk or you've been made redundant you are not alone, The Licensed Trade Charity have helped over 50,000 people this year. You can talk to them about money, redundancy, back to work support and mental health. Call FREE 24/7 on 0808 801 0550.

• Jobcentre Guidance - Updated guidance for customers using Jobcentres has been published on GOV.UK.

• Support for Carers and Jobseekers Extended - Unpaid carers will continue to be able to claim Carer’s Allowance if they have a temporary break in caring. This applies if they or the person they care for has coronavirus or if either have to isolate because of it. Providing emotional support will continue to count towards the Carer’s Allowance threshold of 35 hours of care a week.