Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Using Redeployment MdueonMarch10
Using Redeployment MdueonMarch10
2
3
4Abstract:
5 Redeployment has been viewed by many institutions across the globe as a viable way of
6 cutting down expenditure. In the light of this, the authors have argued that redeployment
7 as a human resource management strategy could be applied in universities and other
8 tertiary education institutions to cut costs, especially in an era where huge sums of
9 monies are spent annually on staff recruitment, training and development amid the
10 financial constraints currently facing tertiary institutions. Some light has been shed on
11 redeployment and its numerous benefits to employers and employees. The point has also
12 been made that redeployment is a healthy way of making redundant employees more
13 productive within an institution and thereby ensuring general improvement in the
14 institution’s outputs and deliverables. The paper concludes by making recommendations
15 for consideration. The recommendations include the need for tertiary institutions to have
16 policies and procedures for managing redundancy and redeployment and the setting up
17 of redeployment portals on institutional websites. Career adjustment funds could be
18 established to assist with the associated costs of training to facilitate transferring
19 redeployees into alternative positions and also the need to engage the services of
20 experienced human resource professionals who would assist with the management of
21 redeployment services.
22
23Keywords: Redeployment, Redundancy, Employee, Higher Education, Employer, Redeployee,
24Institution
25
26 1. Introduction
27Redeployment of corporate personnel is becoming a regular feature of several national and
28multinational organisations (Seabury 2013). Higher education institutions, over the last decade,
29have evolved immensely in their modes of operation and priorities. As a way of ensuring
30proactive and responsive administrative systems in institutions of higher learning, universities all
31over the world have also devised ways of retaining staff who stand the risk of experiencing
32redundancy. One such way of retaining staff has been through redeployment services, where
33employees who stand the chance of phasing out of the institution are presented with an
34opportunity to find a new job in the institution. Institutions such as University of Leeds,
1P a g e 1
2
35University of Kent, University of St. Andrews and University College, London, all in the United
36Kingdom are but few examples of institutions where such developments have occurred.
37Redeployment has been defined as the process of moving people within the university and from
38units where there are excess employees to departments where there are shortages (University of
39Leeds, 2014). The Cambridge Business English Dictionary defines redeployment in relation to
40human resource management; the process of moving employees to different jobs, or of sending
42According to Fairwork Central, an Australian Leading Workplace Relations Advisory Service for
43Employers and Human Resource Managers, redeployment is when an employee's position has
44been made redundant and an employer considers transferring the employee to a different position
47migration of talent from a redundant role and business area to a productive role and business area
48which successfully addresses all of the challenges organisations face when navigating
49organisational change.
50In some of the literature reviewed, the point has been made that the offer of suitable alternative
51work should have similar status, should be within the capabilities of the employee, should not
52cause unreasonable inconvenience to the employee and should provide similar earning to the
3P a g e 2
4
57 When a task has been accomplished
59 Technological change
61 Economic decline
64 Health or Disability
66Accomplishing a given task or assignment is a situation that can lead to redeployment. A task can
67be said to have been accomplished when work on a particular project has been carried out
68successfully. When this happens an employee may be sent from one unit/section of the
69organisation to the other through redeployment to ensure his/her continuous support and
70commitment to the organisation’s vision. Otherwise, staff who have accomplished a given
74management decides to close the production line and withdraw the product from the market. In
75such instances the employees of the failed products or services are sent to other sections of the
76production unit where they could be useful to the organisation. It is common knowledge that the
5P a g e 3
6
77ultimate goal of an employer is to make profit; hence, poor performing products or services will
78be removed from the market to make way for products which stand a better chance of competing
79with other brands. This may call for changing roles of employees through redeployment so that
80the increase in the profit margins of the organisation can guarantee its existence.
83the roles of employees in institutions and organisations. Specific qualifications and/or expertise
84may therefore be needed to guarantee work in some areas of the organisation. In view of this,
85employees who may not be conversant with the use of some modern gadgets and equipment may
86be considered for redeployment to areas where they can continue to support the work of the
87institution.
88
892.4 When Funding Agencies Withdraw their Support
90A person’s job can be at risk if external funding runs out or when funding agencies withdraw
91their support. Should any of these occur, some employees risk becoming redundant and to save
92them from being laid-off, they could be sent to other departments of the organisation where they
93can continue to contribute to growth and development. Though the initial idea was to have a set
94of employees work on a project which received funding from sources other than internal, the
95withdrawal of a funding agency or agencies can result in staff who were working on the said
96project being re-assigned through redeployment to duties which they were not originally hired to
97work on.
7P a g e 4
8
99Economic decline can precipitate redeployment. Poor performing economies can affect the
100activities of organisations operating within those economies. Economic crunch may call for
101restructuring of an organisation’s processes and modes of operation and this may affect the
103departments and re-assigned new roles under redeployment arrangements so they can be more
104productive.
108 Disability or other medical reason(s) which makes an employee unable to continue in
109 his/her current role despite the implementation of reasonable adjustments to that role.
111It is important for an organisation to recognise that there will be occasions when individuals may
112wish to seek redeployment to alternative roles for a variety of reasons. Whilst an organisation
113may have no requirement to support such requests, an organisation may give sympathetic
115 Where a request for flexible working, made in accordance with statutory provisions,
117 At the request of an individual who wishes to reduce his/her level of responsibility.
10
121The processes to be followed in such cases depend on the circumstances of the situation and the
131 Training
132
1333.1 Redeployment to a Different Department
134Where redeployment is being considered to a similar role from one Department/Unit to another,
136 Discussions held with the staff informing them of the need for redeployment to a
137 different Department/Section/Unit. This will involve at least, two (2) meetings: the first
138 informing them of the proposed redeployment and the second to deal with any questions
139 or concerns they have and to determine a transition process to the new Department. An
140 employee may be accompanied by a trade union representative or work colleague at this
141 meeting.
142 Members of staff are provided with adequate support during the transition period,
11P a g e 6
12
1443.2 Redeployment to a Different Role
145Where redeployment of staff is being considered to a different role in the organisation, the
147 Discussions held with the members of staff informing them of the need for redeployment
148 to a different role and Department/Section/Unit. This will involve at least, two (2)
149 meetings: the first informing them of the proposed redeployment and the second to deal
150 with any questions or concerns they have and to determine a transition process to the new
151 role and Department. The employee may be accompanied by a trade union representative
153 Should the new role or roles be graded at a lower grade than is currently the case, the
154 organisation may endeavour to provide protection of pay in accordance with the pay
156 The individual is provided with support during the transition period, including
158 Where a member of staff considers a redeployment to have been unsuccessful, the
159 organisation may seek to find an alternative position unless the organisation judges that
160 the redeployment has been successful or judges that the resistance of the member of staff
161 to positive engagement with the new roles and Department is a significant factor in the
162 failure. In such cases no attempts may be made to initiate a further redeployment, but the
163 member of staff will be fully entitled to apply for other positions in the organisation on a
13P a g e 7
14
166Where a staff has a disability or other medical condition which has resulted in the employee
167being unable to continue in his/her current role despite the implementation of reasonable
169 Meeting held with the individual and the Line Manager/Head of Department/Section/Unit
170 and a Human Resource Officer. The meeting will explore the types of roles for which
171 he/she would like to be considered, together with relevant skills, experience and any
172 training needs. The Human Resource Officer will outline the process that will be
173 followed to find a suitable alternative position for the individual. The employee can be
176 for redeployment within their own Departments in the first instance. If there is nothing
177 suitable within the Department, the Human Resource Officer will identify if there are
178 other vacancies that may be a suitable alternative in another area of the organisation.
179 There has to be a genuine vacancy; no positions will be created purely for the purposes of
180 redeployment. Individuals should also look at the vacancy bulletin on the Human
181 Resource website to see whether there are any jobs in which they may be interested.
182 Once a likely suitable position has been identified by the Human Resource Officer,
183 manager or individual, a Curriculum Vitae or Application form for the position should be
184 submitted by the individual to the Human Resource Officer who will then liaise with the
185 human resource manager to ensure that the individual meets the essential criteria for the
186 job.
187 If the individual seeking redeployment meets the essential criteria for the job, he/she will
188 be given prior consideration for the position by means of an interview in advance of any
15P a g e 8
16
189 other internal or external candidates being considered. It should be noted that if the
190 individual does not meet the essential criteria but with a reasonable amount of training
191 would, he/she should still be considered prior to other candidates. The interview should
192 take place as quickly as possible as any external advert may be delayed as a consequence
194 If it is concluded that the individual does meet the requirements of the position, he/she
195 should be offered it before consideration of any other candidates. If, however, it is
196 concluded that the individual does not meet the requirements of the position, he/she will
197 be given written feedback by the employer explaining the reason(s) for this decision.
198 If more than one employee seeking redeployment expresses an interest in a particular
199 position, a competitive selection process in line with the organisation’s normal procedure
201
2023.4 Trial Periods
203It has been mentioned in literature that a trial period should be part of any redeployment
204situation. This will be agreed in advance during the meetings outlined in the earlier discussions.
205
2063.5 Pay Protection
207An organisation can make every effort to ensure that an offer of suitable alternative employment
208or redeployment is made at the same grade. However, should an employee decide to accept a
209post at a lower grade, the current pay can be protected for three (3) years from the date of
210appointment to the new position. During this period, an employee will not receive increments but
211will receive cost of living increases. The pay protection period will cease at the end of the three
212(3) years when the employee’s salary will revert to the top non-discretionary point of the new
17P a g e 9
18
213grade. During the period of pay protection the organisation will endeavour to develop the new
214role to a level that justifies the original grade of the employee, but the organisation may be
216If the employee voluntarily changes position during the three (3) year period of pay protection,
218Pay protection will not apply to employees who voluntarily request to move to a position at a
219lower grade or who have been redeployed to a post at a lower grade because of disciplinary
220action.
2213.6 Training
222An organisation should be committed to facilitating and funding reasonable training to enable an
224made available to view at an organisation’s website. Special portal on redeployment can be set
226
2274.0 Advantages of Redeployment
2284.1 Advantages of Redeployment to an Organisation
229Redeployment brings certain advantages to an organisation. The following are some of the
19P a g e 10
20
2354.1.1 No Additional Recruitment Costs
236Redeployment allows an institution to retain valuable skills, knowledge and experience
238University College, London, 2014). By doing so, it helps in reducing cost and time required to
239fill vacancies and also reduces the time needed for induction and training of staff who are new to
240an institution.
241
2424.1.2 No Severance Package
243Severance pay is money that an employer might want to provide for an employee who is leaving
244their employ. Circumstances that can warrant severance pay include layoffs, job elimination, and
245mutual agreement to part ways, for whatever reason (Heathfield, 2014). Redeployment serves as
246a way of saving an employer from paying huge severance packages. Such packages may put a
248engaged in the work of an organisation instead of being laid-off saves the employer from such
249expenditure.
252was unjustified because the employer did not offer redeployment (Partner and Coats, 2010). It
253has also been espoused that redeployment is committed to helping to maintain job security for
254employees. In an era where the rate of unemployment is increasingly becoming high in most
255societies, redeployment guarantees job security and prevent employees from having to go
256through stress in the course of searching for new jobs. Employees may therefore perceive an
257employer to be a good employer since they have been saved from the unemployment stress they
258could have experienced and rather retained on their jobs through a process of redeployment.
21P a g e 11
22
2594.1.4 Increase in Productivity and Work Output
260Redeployment can bring an increase in the output level of staff. When employees are sent from
261an area where there is excess labour to an area where there are shortages, the redeployed staff
262become more productive and their renewed efforts contribute to the productivity of the
263organisation as a whole. This change may result in an overall increase in the output level of the
264organisation. The change may discourage laziness and shirking of individual responsibilities
265since, careful monitoring will often be carried out from time to time as part of the redeployment
267
2684.2 Advantages of Redeployment to Staff:
269Redeployment has some advantages to staff as well. They include:
273
2744.2.1 Employees are not Haunted by the Fear of being Laid-Off
275A healthy working environment involves instances where employees are not constantly haunted
276by the fear of being laid-off from an organisation due to expiration of one’s contract or structural
277changes in the organisation. Consequently, it can be said that the constant fear of being laid-off
279redeployment service in an organisation allays the fears of employees and helps them to unleash
280their full potential without fear and are also able to work freely and meet organisational goals
281and targets for a given period. In such instances, companies benefit from the job security
283
23P a g e 12
24
2844.2.2 Contributes to the General Wellbeing of Staff
285Services such as redeployment may prevent employees from overburdening themselves with
286thoughts of where and when another job may be secured. The sense of security enhances safety
287and soundness in staff and can contribute to their general wellbeing. This may subsequently be
288reflective in the general health of staff and to some extent, their dependants and the communities
290
2914.2.3 Prepares an Individual for External Job Opportunities
292The new skills that are acquired by staff during re-training periods of redeployment services add
293on to the knowledge base of those who experience redeployment. This puts redeployed staff at an
294advantaged position when seeking for job opportunities outside the institutions where they work.
296emerged better prepared not only for redeployment but for the pursuit of external positions. The
297redeployment skills they acquired primed them for the external job market so that those
298employees who ultimately choose external over internal jobs often found those jobs long before
300
3015.0 Disadvantages of Redeployment
302Inspite of the numerous benefits redeployment can bring to an organisation and the individual
303redeployees, there are also some disadvantages which come from this strategy. The following are
305
3065.1 Emotional and or Psychological Challenges
307Redeployment may arouse some emotional challenges. Each individual has career aspirations
308and plans, a sudden change in plans resulting from redeployment may result in some emotional
25P a g e 13
26
309and psychological challenges if the process is not properly handled by the organisation’s human
310resource team. Furthermore, the feelings of rejection and lowering of self-esteem that can result
311from losing a position or job as part of a redeployment process can take some time to heal.
312Appropriate education and orientation may therefore be needed to speed up the healing process.
313
3145.2 Personal Insecurity
315Personal insecurity issues may come up during redeployment. Redeployment may foster
317inefficiencies and general performance. They may think they were less productive compared to
319
3205.3 Discouragement to External Applicants
321Redeployment may put off external applicants who may be equally qualified for a particular
322position as it may be mentioned in the advertisement for the vacant position that priority will be
323given to redeployed staff. This may deny the organisation the opportunity of bringing on board
325
3266.0 Some Examples of Redeployment
327Literature has reported on institutions and organisations which have successfully embarked on
328redeployment. In some places around the world however, the courts had to come in to settle
329matters of redeployment. Thus, making a case for redeployment and echoing the fact that the
330redeployment process can be used to optimise human resource and also to avoid long and
331expensive legal processes. Some examples of cases which merited redeployment as cited by
3331998 – Court of Appeal: Yes, The employer must offer redeployment (unless not feasible)
27P a g e 14
28
334McKechnie Pacific (New Zealand) Ltd. v Clemow (“McKechnie”) was a case that came before
335the Court of Appeal regarding an employee, Mr. Clemow, who had been abruptly dismissed for
336redundancy. The employer decided it did not have enough work to justify having a company
337secretary in New Zealand – the position Mr. Clemow occupied – and, on the morning following
338that decision (made without consultation), Mr. Clemow was given a letter advising his position
339would become redundant, with six months’ notice “to give you time to seek an alternative
341On appeal, the Court of Appeal found that the dismissal on grounds of redundancy was
342substantively justified, because the evidence suggested that redeployment was simply not
344“In circumstances in which there was no longer any requirement for a full-time company
345secretary, a fair employer should have given consideration to redeployment. …If in fact another
346position existed within the McKechnie group in New Zealand which was suitable for Mr.
347Clemow it could not be said that he was surplus to requirements, so that there would not be a
348situation of redundancy.”
350In New Zealand Fasteners Stainless Ltd. v Thwaites (“Thwaites”), Employment Court approved
352Mr. Thwaites was employed as a finance manager. The employer decided that the finance
353manager position was redundant, and that a new full-time position at a lower level – financial
354accountant – would be created. Mr. Thwaites was informed his position was redundant, and was
29P a g e 15
30
355not advised of the new financial accountant position (which in evidence he said he would have
357The Employment Court followed the approach in McKechnie and found that the dismissal was
358unjustified because the lower level financial accountant position was suitable for Mr. Thwaites
3602013 – Employment Court: Yes, the employer must offer redeployment (if the employee has
362A recent case of Rittson-Thomas t/a Totara Hills Farm v Davidson (“Totara Hills”) highlighted
364Mr. Davidson was employed as one of two unit managers on a farm. The farm also employed a
365shepherd. Mr. Davidson’s position was disestablished and his employer said he was entitled to
366apply for the junior shepherd position that was being created in place of the unit manager
367position.
368The Court found that it was not enough for the employer to simply offer Mr. Davidson an
369opportunity to apply for the new position of junior shepherd. The position should have been
370offered to him, as he clearly had the skills and experience for it.
31P a g e 16
32
376After carrying out projects there seems to be fewer responsibilities at some of the offices which
377were formally supported by external funds to undertake projects. Activities initially supported by
378external funds soon lack sufficient funds to ensure their sustainability when external funding run
379out or are withdrawn. As a result, idle staff could be considered for redeployment to other units
380or departments where they could continue to work and contribute to the growth of the institution.
381Often, these staff would have accumulated great worth of experience over time and are well
382placed to contribute positively to the development of other units and departments. Redeployment
383in this case would ensure an optimal use of human resource and also guarantee job security and
385Also, many tertiary institutions had, and continue to undergo restructuring as a way of addressing
387results in the merging of some offices and units and the creation of new ones. In view of this,
388staff who may be perceived to be under-utilized in their current positions due to the restructuring
389process could be considered for redeployment to other departments and units where they could
391There may have been some transfers and movements in the past. However, such movements may
392not be termed as redeployment since, there may not have been laid down processes and
393procedures in place to ensure that such movements met agreeable national and international
394standards as done in other institutions across the globe. Again, those transfers and movements
395may not have been as a result of redundancy but sending staff to different units or sections and
396departments to perform nearly the same roles they were performing in the past.
3978.0 Conclusion
33P a g e 17
34
398This paper has taken a look at the factors which may precipitate redeployment in an organisation
399and for that matter in institutions of higher learning. The paper has discussed that factors such as
402restructuring, changing needs of an organisation as well as disability and health related matters
403are some of the reasons which could necessitate redeployment. The paper also noted that there
404may be instances where an individual may seek for redeployment to another department or unit
405for reasons such as flexible working hours, formal recommendation made under a formal
407has also highlighted the procedures or processes for redeployments, touching on different
408processes and steps to be followed in situations where redeployment has to take place. The
409advantages and disadvantages of redeployment to an individual and the institutions they work for
410have been discussed. In summary, it can be said that dynamic and progressive institutions should
411consider developing redeployment policies and instituting redeployment services since it is only
412a matter of time when they would be confronted with the challenges or factors which necessitate
413redeployment.
414
4159.0 Recommendations
416From the discussions, it is recommended that higher education institutions should have policies
417and procedures for managing redundancy and redeployment. Policies such as Redeployment
420such policy documents have been explicitly cited in the discussions above.
35P a g e 18
36
421Redeployment portals should be set-up on their websites to publicise information on available
422vacant positions for interested redundant employees to put in applications for consideration.
423Employees who fall within this category can be encouraged as well as coached to apply for such
424vacant positions.
425There is also the need to put in place mechanisms for managing employee redeployment. Since
426some employees may view redeployment in a negative sense than see it as an opportunity to
427continue their career, there is the need to minimise the emotional and complex issues that
429strategies. To ensure this, experienced human resource professionals can be engaged to assist
431suitable advisor or human resource consultant is often favoured because of the experience and
433Career adjustment funds could be established by higher education institutions to assist with the
435positions. The career adjustment funds could be some extra monies added to funds already set
438considered.
439
37P a g e 19
38
440References
462Partner, Towner. Rob and Coats, Liz. (2010) Duty to offer redeployment following restructuring,
463 available: http://www.bellgully.co.nz/resources/resource.02677.asp (November 03, 2014)
464
40
480University of Kent (2013) Redundancy and Redeployment,
481available: http://www.kent.ac.uk/hr-staffinformation/policies/redundancy-redeployment.html
483(September 09, 2014)
482
484
485University of St. Andrews (2014) Redeployment Policy and Procedure,
486available: http://www.standrews.ac.uk/staff/policy/hr/redeploymentpolicyandprocedure/
487(October 02, 2014)
41P a g e 21
42