Q: We have an employee who has worked for us on a full-time basis for around 20 years. However, these full-time hours are conducted within 4.5 days. He has recently been on leave and it has become clear that the half day he performs on a Friday really isn’t necessary. Can we reduce his hours?

A: You cannot reduce an employee’s hours from full-time to part-time unless they agree.

However, if the reason for doing this is that his full-time hours are not required and the employee refuses to reduce his hours, it will be a redundancy.

This won’t be an unfair dismissal if the reason is genuine (e.g. you are not targeting a mature-aged worker) and you consult with the employee before implementing it.

Please note: The answer is correct at the time of publishing. Be aware that laws may change over time. Refer to Changing employees' jobs for current advice.