{"id":39847,"date":"2023-02-21T16:41:53","date_gmt":"2023-02-21T15:41:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zuniclaw.com\/13-smart-solutions-for-employers-to-avoid-redundancy\/"},"modified":"2025-05-09T14:20:35","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T12:20:35","slug":"redundancy-alternatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zuniclaw.com\/en\/redundancy-alternatives\/","title":{"rendered":"Alternatives to Redundancy – A Guide for Serbia"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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There have been notable skyrocketing layoffs across the tech world recently. Major headlines announcing Apple, Microsoft, Google, Uber, Stripe, Lyft, Opendoor, and many others sacking thousands of employees over the previous period have caused a great deal of worry. And it is not the end\u2026 Only a few days ago, News Corp, the parent company of Wall Street Journal and New York Post, made their plans to cut 1250 employees public, following Yahoo, Disney, Zoom, eBay, and others, who have also started the process of rationalization of expenses on the workforce.<\/p>

As the trend continues into the new year\u2019s shrinking economy, we see that not only the tech industry will suffer and we can expect this trend to spill over Europe, including Serbia.<\/p>

Therefore, we have decided to let you know what you can do to cut down the cost of the workforce, and (potentially) avoid redundancy. Because one thing is certain \u2013 tough times never last but tough businesses do!<\/p>

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Why Should You Consider Alternatives to Redundancy?<\/h2>

\u00a0<\/p>

The Labor Law (hereinafter: the Law) recognizes\u00a0redundancy<\/a>\u00a0as one of the possible reasons for termination of employment. The very procedure of declaring redundant employees implies a series of obligations for employers and always carries with it a certain risk \u2013 the initiation of a dispute by an employee who has been declared redundant.<\/p>

On the one hand, the procedure for determining the redundancy of employees is quite formalistic and complex. It should be approached with particular care, especially bearing in mind the high standard of protection that the courts have developed in judicial practice in favor of the employee. Of course, the very process of declaring redundancy most often entails large costs in the form of severance pay for employees whose employment agreements have been terminated in this way.<\/p>

Finally, redundancy can result in the loss of employees whose knowledge and skills are valuable to the company, or at the very least, lead to their demotivation, impacting their performance. This is another important factor to consider.<\/p>

Some of the alternatives we explained can help employers successfully continue their business while avoiding the layoff of a large number of employees. In addition to that employers should not lose sight of the time that was invested to train those employees, the loyalty that the employees showed to the employer or the expert personnel that are often not easy to find.<\/p>

For these and numerous other reasons, employers are ready to find an adequate solution by which their work team will remain unchanged, and the company\u2019s operations will continue with certain modifications.<\/p>

Therefore, before deciding on redundancy, employers should consider other possibilities determined by law, which could help either in the eventual postponement of the technological redundancy procedure or in reducing its consequences.<\/p>

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What Can Employers Benefit From?<\/h2>

\u00a0<\/h2>

1. Temporarily Freeze Recruiting New Hires<\/h2>

\u00a0<\/p>

If the company is facing the risk of redundancy, the first step is certainly to temporarily stop hiring new team members. Although new employees are an important resource, they entail large costs and require additional training time for them to be included in the work process itself. Therefore, consider retraining or redeploying existing staff to fill open positions instead of hiring new people.<\/p>

If there is still a need for new labor, consider the option of hiring staff outside of the employment relationship.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/h2>

2. Review the Existing Fixed-Term Employment Agreements<\/h2>

\u00a0<\/p>

If there are employees within the company who have been hired due to an increase in the volume of work, consider whether there is still a reason for their employment, bearing in mind the risk of declaring redundant employees. Although these employees may have contributed greatly to the company when it was operating at full capacity and with an increased workload, now that the workload has decreased, the need for their work may have disappeared as well.<\/p>

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3. Unpaid Leave<\/h2>

\u00a0<\/p>

In the age of expansion of the IT industry, some IT companies, as an additional benefit, began to introduce options for shorter unpaid leave for employees who expressed a desire for such a thing. In these circumstances, you can suggest that employees consider the possibility of a well-regulated and clearly defined period of unpaid leave. This option allows the company to achieve significant savings while allowing employees to devote themselves to private commitments during that period and not be bound by the number of vacation days. The law does not prescribe the right to unpaid leave in detail, so the introduction of this option is best defined through a general act.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/h2>

4. Flexible Working Hours and Redistribution of Work Tasks<\/h2>

\u00a0<\/p>

Another way for the company to achieve savings is to consider modifying the existing work organization at the employer. Thus, it is necessary to analyze how resources are spent, and which personnel at the employer contribute more and which contribute less to the overall business. Reduction of working hours or redistributing tasks, along with a proportional reduction in employees\u2019 wages, would contribute to the achievement of a double goal:<\/p>

\u2013 the business would continue to run to the extent necessary for its survival<\/p>

\u2013 professional staff and loyal employees would not face the uncertainty of looking for a new job.<\/p>

What are some of the options:<\/p>

\"\"<\/p>

\u00a0<\/p>

5. Maternity Leave, Childcare Leave, or Special Childcare Leave<\/h2>

\u00a0<\/p>

Although the law prescribes the length of the leave, certain employees often decide to return to work before it expires.<\/p>

On the other hand, this type of leave enables employees to spend more time with their families, which benefits them greatly. Additionally, it allows the employer to reduce costs, as salary compensation is covered by the state budget.<\/p>

Maternity leave can start at the earliest 45 and necessarily 28 days before the time set for childbirth and it ends 3 months after the childbirth.<\/p>

After maternity leave ends, the employee is entitled to childcare leave until 365 days have passed from the start of the maternity leave.<\/p>

Also, it is good to know that the working father can also use these leaves if the mother is unable to use them for justified reasons.<\/p>

In the case of the birth of the third and each following child, maternity leave and childcare leave lasts a total of 24 months.<\/p>

\u00a0<\/h3>

The law also allows other types of leaves:<\/h3>