We are about to commence redundancy consultation with affected staff. What should we do about employees on maternity and sickness leave?

You should include employees who are absent (on sick or maternity leave) in the redundancy consultation as much as possible. They should be kept informed of the position, receiving the same information in writing as other employees, as well as being actively involved in the consultation process. Ideally, consultation should happen face-to-face with them.

The employer should try and accommodate requests for flexibility, such as meeting at the employee's home or having meetings outside office hours. If the employee is unable to have face-to-face meetings, the employer should do its best to consult by other means.

In some circumstances, this might entail consulting by phone and/or letter.