Can I be made redundant if I am the only person who does my job?

Yes — redundancy is about the role, not the person. If the employer's need for the work you do has ceased or diminished, your role can be made redundant even if you are the only person performing it. The selection process is different when there is only one person in a role — there is effectively no competitive pool — but the employer must still follow a fair process: give notice of the potential redundancy, consult you about alternatives, consider suitable alternative roles, and follow a fair procedure before dismissing you.

Does my employer still have to consult me if it is just my role?

Yes — individual consultation is required regardless of pool size. If only your role is at risk, your employer must: inform you that your role is at risk of redundancy; give you meaningful opportunity to suggest alternatives or challenge the business case; consider any alternatives you propose; explore suitable alternative employment within the organisation. Skipping consultation because 'there's no selection to do' is a common but mistaken shortcut — procedural unfairness remains challengeable at tribunal.

What is 'bumping' and could it save my job?

Bumping is where you are moved into another employee's role (which is less at risk), and that employee is made redundant instead. It allows the employer to retain a valuable employee. Bumping is not automatic — it requires the employer to consider it and requires you to be suitable for the role you would move into. If you are aware of a colleague in a role you could do, you can raise this formally during consultation. Whether the employer must consider bumping is a complex legal question, but failing to consider it at all in appropriate circumstances can be unfair.

What if my employer says my role is redundant but replaces me?

If your employer claims redundancy but then hires someone (or uses contractors) to do the same work shortly after your dismissal, the redundancy may not have been genuine. A redundancy requires that the need for your type of work has ceased or diminished — not merely that you are to be replaced. If this happens to you, you may have an unfair dismissal claim. Keep evidence of what happened after you left.

Do I get to apply for other roles in the company during redundancy?

Yes — during a genuine redundancy process your employer must look for suitable alternative employment and give you the opportunity to apply. If there are vacancies elsewhere in the organisation that match your skills and experience, these should be identified and offered or highlighted to you. Failing to do this can make an otherwise genuine redundancy procedurally unfair. If you are pregnant or on maternity/paternity/adoption leave, you have priority right of first refusal on suitable alternative roles.

Can I Be Made Redundant If I Am the Only Person in My Role UK?

Yes — a single-person role can be made redundant if it genuinely ceases to exist. But the process must still be fair, and alternatives must be considered. Here's what to expect.

By James Whitfield · 9 May 2026 · 2 min read

Being the only person in your role makes your situation feel inevitable — but employment law still places meaningful obligations on your employer before dismissal.

The Redundancy Process for a Single-Person Pool

Stage	What must happen
Notification	Told your role is at risk, with business case explained
Individual consultation	Meaningful meetings to discuss alternatives (not just notification)
Alternatives considered	Other roles in the business explored; bumping considered
Final decision	Fair process; right to appeal
Notice	Statutory or contractual notice paid
Redundancy pay	After 2+ years’ service

What ‘Genuine Redundancy’ Requires for a Single Role

The employer must show that the requirements for the type of work you do have ceased or diminished. This can be because:

The business line or department is closing
The work is being automated or outsourced
The volume of work has reduced below the level that justified a full-time post
A restructuring has redistributed your work across other roles (and genuinely reduced the total volume)

Challenging the Redundancy

You can challenge the redundancy during consultation if:

The business case is not genuine (same work continues with someone else)
The employer did not consider alternatives
Selection criteria were used (and applied unfairly) even in a single-person pool
Protected characteristic was a factor (e.g. pregnancy, disability)

Put your challenges in writing during consultation and keep copies.

Challenging Selective Redundancy

If you suspect the selection was not genuine redundancy but a targeted dismissal:

Ask for the selection criteria in writing — you have the right to see the criteria and how you scored
Request comparative scores — if you were scored against others, you can ask to see anonymised comparisons
Look for inconsistency — if your role was “redundant” but someone else is doing the same work shortly after, this may be sham redundancy
Consider alternative roles — your employer has a duty to look for suitable alternative roles within the company. Failure to offer you an available suitable role is a basis for unfair dismissal

Selective redundancy may also involve discrimination if you were selected on grounds of age, disability, sex, pregnancy/maternity, race, or religion. Discrimination-based unfair dismissal has no qualifying service requirement and uncapped compensation.

ACAS Early Conciliation is the starting point for challenging redundancy — most settlements are reached at this stage rather than tribunal.

Can I Be Made Redundant If I Am the Only Person in My Role UK?

Contents

The Redundancy Process for a Single-Person Pool

What ‘Genuine Redundancy’ Requires for a Single Role

Challenging the Redundancy

Challenging Selective Redundancy

Sources

Contents

The Redundancy Process for a Single-Person Pool

What ‘Genuine Redundancy’ Requires for a Single Role

Challenging the Redundancy

Challenging Selective Redundancy

Related Guides

Sources