Working and Travel Plans After Redundancy: What to Know If You Are Off Sick
Redundancy can disrupt more than your income. If you are already off sick when your job is put at risk, you may also have questions about your notice period, sick pay, job hunting and whether you can go ahead with travel that was booked before the redundancy process began.
Being absent because of illness does not automatically remove you from a redundancy process. An employer can make a role redundant while the employee is on sick leave, but the redundancy must be genuine and the employer should still follow a fair process. Employers should also keep employees who are absent through sickness informed during redundancy proceedings.
Understanding where sick leave ends, redundancy rights begin and personal travel plans fit in can make the transition easier to manage.
Can You Be Made Redundant While You Are Off Sick?
Yes. Being signed off work does not give an employee complete protection against redundancy.
Redundancy generally concerns the need for a role rather than the health of the person doing it. A business may need fewer employees, close a workplace, relocate operations or restructure the jobs it requires.
However, sickness absence should not simply be used as a convenient reason to select somebody for redundancy. Particular care may also be required where an employee’s condition amounts to a disability or the absence is related to pregnancy, as discrimination protections may apply.
An employee who is off sick should therefore continue to receive appropriate information about consultation, selection and the proposed timetable.
What Happens to Sick Leave During a Redundancy Process?
Until your employment actually ends, you remain an employee.
That means you should continue following your employer’s normal sickness-reporting procedure. Under current rules, employees generally need to provide a fit note when they have been off work for more than seven consecutive days.
If you are invited to redundancy consultation meetings while you are unwell, tell the employer if your condition affects your ability to participate. Practical arrangements may be possible, such as holding discussions remotely or adjusting how communication takes place.
Do not assume that being signed off means you can ignore redundancy correspondence. Important deadlines, consultation opportunities and decisions may still arise while you are absent.
What Happens When Redundancy Notice Is Given?
Once the consultation and selection process has finished and you are selected for redundancy, your employer should confirm the decision and your leaving arrangements.
Statutory redundancy notice is normally:
| Continuous employment | Minimum statutory notice |
|---|---|
| 1 month to under 2 years | 1 week |
| 2 to 12 years | 1 week for each complete year |
| 12 years or more | 12 weeks |
Your employment contract can provide a longer notice period but cannot reduce your entitlement below the statutory minimum.
Can You Stay Off Sick During Your Notice Period?
Yes. If you remain medically unfit for work, sick leave can continue during a redundancy notice period.
The normal sickness-reporting rules still apply. However, notice pay can become more complicated when an employee is absent, because entitlement can depend on the relationship between the contractual notice period, statutory notice and the employment contract.
For that reason, check your redundancy letter and contract rather than assuming your final weeks will automatically be paid at either your normal salary or your usual sick-pay rate.
Planning Your Next Job While You Are Off Sick
Redundancy often creates an unusual situation: you might not currently be fit enough to perform your existing job but may still want to prepare for future employment.
There is nothing inherently contradictory about this. Being medically unable to perform one job at a particular time does not necessarily mean you cannot update your CV, research employers, complete online training or consider roles that may start after you recover.
Employees with at least two years’ continuous service, including their notice period, can request a reasonable amount of time off during redundancy notice to look for another job or arrange training.
Anyone who is made redundant while on sick leave should therefore consider both sides of the situation: protecting their existing employment rights while also preparing realistically for what comes after their leaving date.
Be Careful About Starting Another Job Too Early
Applying for jobs and actually starting work are different matters.
If you remain employed and are receiving sick pay, starting paid work elsewhere could create contractual or sick-pay issues depending on the circumstances. Your existing contract may contain rules covering second jobs, conflicts of interest or outside employment.
There may also be an obvious inconsistency if somebody tells one employer they cannot work because of illness while performing essentially identical duties elsewhere.
Before starting another role during sick leave or before your redundancy termination date, check your employment contract and obtain advice if the position is unclear.
Can You Travel While Off Sick?
Being off sick does not automatically mean you must remain at home.
The nature of an illness can make a significant difference. Someone may be unable to perform physically demanding work while still being capable of travelling. In other circumstances, time away might form part of recovery.
Acas specifically recognises that a worker can request annual leave while already off sick, including situations where the person is not able to work but is physically able to take a holiday. If approved, sickness absence can be paused while the employee takes annual leave and receives holiday pay.
The safest approach is to communicate with your employer rather than assuming previously booked travel requires no discussion.
Check Whether the Trip Should Be Holiday or Sick Leave
If you have a trip planned during your notice period, establish how the employer will record it.
You might remain on sickness absence throughout, or you may request annual leave for the relevant dates. Acas recommends that employers and workers discuss whether time away will count as sickness or holiday and record what they agree in writing.
This can also affect how you are paid.
Remember that statutory holiday entitlement continues to build up while you are off work because of sickness or injury.
What If You Want to Travel After Your Employment Ends?
Once the redundancy termination date has passed, your former employer will normally have no control over your personal travel.
The bigger question may be financial support.
If you intend to claim benefits after redundancy, travelling or moving abroad can affect eligibility depending on the benefit and circumstances. For example, GOV.UK states that Employment and Support Allowance may in some circumstances continue for a limited period abroad, but claimants should inform Jobcentre Plus before travelling.
Therefore, do not assume that rules applying while you were employed continue unchanged after redundancy.
Check Your Final Redundancy Payments Before Travelling
Before making expensive or long-term travel plans, understand what money you will actually receive when employment ends.
Your final settlement may include several separate elements:
| Payment | What to check |
|---|---|
| Final salary | Pay owed up to the termination date |
| Sick pay | Entitlement during qualifying sickness absence |
| Notice pay | Whether notice is worked or paid another way |
| Redundancy pay | Statutory and any enhanced contractual payment |
| Holiday pay | Payment for qualifying unused accrued holiday |
| Expenses or bonuses | Whether anything remains payable |
Your redundancy letter should explain your notice period, leaving date, redundancy payment and other amounts due. Acas also advises employers to provide redundancy calculations in writing.
Having those figures before booking extended travel can help you build a more realistic post-redundancy budget.
Should You Resign Instead of Waiting for Redundancy?
Be particularly cautious here.
If redundancy is already underway, resigning because you want to travel, recover or start another opportunity could affect your pay or redundancy rights. Acas specifically warns that resigning after being told your job is at risk of redundancy can affect your rights.
Ask the employer what would happen before giving notice yourself.
In some situations, waiting until the agreed redundancy termination date may be financially preferable. In others, an employer might agree to an earlier departure. The important point is to understand the consequences before making the decision.
A Practical Plan Before Your Employment Ends
If you are simultaneously managing illness, redundancy and future travel, separate the decisions instead of treating everything as one problem.
First, establish your employment position: consultation status, notice period, termination date and redundancy entitlement. Next, confirm your sickness position, including fit notes and sick pay. Then check outstanding annual leave and how any planned trip will be recorded.
Finally, consider what happens after the termination date: whether you want to travel immediately, begin applying for jobs, undertake training or concentrate on recovery.
Keeping copies of redundancy letters, fit notes, payslips, your employment contract and written agreements about holiday can also prevent confusion later.
Final Thoughts
Being off sick does not prevent a genuine redundancy from taking place, but it does not remove your employment rights either. Your employer should still communicate with you appropriately, follow a fair redundancy procedure and explain your notice and final payments.
Travel is also not automatically incompatible with sick leave. What matters is the nature of your illness, how the absence is recorded, your employer’s policies and whether travel affects any benefits you intend to claim.
Before making major plans, confirm your redundancy termination date, notice arrangements, sick pay, unused holiday and expected final payment. Once those details are clear, you can make decisions about recovery, travelling and returning to work with a much better understanding of your financial and employment position.
