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I was concerned to read the news article 'Young men bear the brunt of credit crunch job losses' (Personnel Today, 21 October) as it compounds my worries that companies may be getting it wrong with regard to redundancies.
Decisions regarding redundancies and redeployment should be made in as clear, objective and efficient a way as possible, but too often it is easy to look to historic data about performance or adopt the inappropriate 'last in, first out' approach. As the first option is not based on future potential, it could mean that the company fails to have the right people in the right roles, while the latter could easily land a company in court as it risks flouting equality laws.
To take a more objective and scientific approach, organisations should try to incorporate psychometric assessment and other techniques into the process to enable them to assess against the competencies required for each role. This will ensure there are objective reasons for letting people go, while aiding the retention of people who will be integral to the company's performance.
John Bateson, group chief executive, SHL Group
