Even in a recession employers need skilled employees. You can help yourself keep your old job or get a new one by:

• Agreeing clear objectives with your manager and doing your best to achieve them
• Developing your skills and competences by taking advantage of opportunities for, carrying out new tasks, training and further education.

Your contract can be changed by mutual agreement between you and your employer. Where you don't agree to a change, it is possible your employers may terminate your original contract, with proper notice and by following any relevant procedures. They may then offer you a new contract including the revised terms. There will be no breach of contract as a result of taking this action. If you accept the new contract your continuity of employment is preserved.

Your employers must give you the notice specified (or implied) in your contract, or the minimum statutory notice period, whichever is the longer.

Under the law the termination will be regarded as a dismissal and providing you are eligible you may claim unfair dismissal before an employment tribunal. This is true whether you refuse to accept the new contract and leave, or are dismissed under the old contract and re-engaged?

Your employer should be using objective criteria wherever possible, precisely defined and capable of being applied in an independent way, when selecting employees for redundancy. This is to ensure that they are not selected unfairly. The chosen criteria should be consistently applied by all employers, irrespective of size. There should also be an appeals procedure.

Examples of such criteria:

• attendance record (if this is fully accurate and reasons for and extent of absence are known)
• disciplinary record (if this is fully accurate)
• skills or experience
• standard of work performance
• aptitude for work

Formal qualifications and advanced skills should be considered, but not in isolation.

Both you and your employer are normally entitled to a minimum period of notice of termination of employment. After one month's employment, you must give your employer at least one week's notice; this minimum is unaffected by longer service. Your employer must give you:

• at least one week's notice after one month's employment
• two weeks after two years
• three weeks after three years and so on up to 12 weeks after 12 years or more

However, you and your employer will be entitled to a longer period of notice than the statutory minimum if this is provided for in the contract of employment.

Most employees, subject to certain conditions, are entitled to certain payments during the statutory notice period. You can waive your right to notice or to payment in lieu of notice. Your employer can also waive their right to notice.

Acas and the CIPD have put together a top tip guide for managing during a recession, including how best to:

• Think long term
• Maintain employee engagement
• Strengthen line management capability
• Support employees' health and well being
• Think about ways to avoid redundancies
• Consult with your workforce and employee reps
• Establish fair and objective criteria for redundancies that will help you retain key people
• Help redundant employees to find other work
• Plan for the future

For the complete top tip guide, see the Acas/CIPD guidance page (this opens in a new window)

Even if you are not currently experiencing a downturn, now is the time to get your policies and procedures agreed and in place.

Remember that among other things arrangements should include:

• ways of avoiding job losses
• consultation with trade union or elected employee representatives
• communication arrangements
• fair redundancy selection criteria
• consideration of alternative employment
• redundancy pay and notice arrangements.

You must comply with the law on handling redundancies or when transferring a business. There are legal requirements for:

• consulting with your workforce
• seeking to avoid job losses
• fair redundancy selection criteria
• continuity of employment when employees are transferred from one business to another
• provisions for laying-off employees or short time working
• varying a contract

Wherever possible this should be done by mutual agreement. Where agreement is not possible you can consider terminating the original contract, with proper notice and following any relevant procedures. You may then offer a new contract to the employee, including the revised terms. There will be no breach of contract as a result of taking this action. If the employee accepts the new contract, continuity of employment is preserved.

You must give notice as specified (or implied) in the employee's contract, or the minimum statutory notice period, whichever is the longer.

Under the law the termination will be regarded as a dismissal and it will be open to all eligible employees to claim unfair dismissal before an employment tribunal - whether they refuse to accept the new contract and leave, or are dismissed under the old contract and re-engaged?

Leadership skills, clear communication and employee engagement are of critical importance in a recession. A motivated workforce with clear objectives can support the organisation through a downturn and prepare the foundations for recovery.

Acas offers a nationwide range of training courses and tailored support options for organisations of all sizes. See our 'Training and Business Solutions' page for the full list.