What Is a Redeployment Letter?

When organizations go through restructuring, role changes, or shifts in business priorities, employee redeployment often becomes a strategic and humane alternative to layoffs. A key part of this process is the redeployment letter, the formal communication that outlines an employee’s new role, department, and/or work location.

In this guide, we’ll explain the redeployment letter’s meaning, break down how to write a redeployment letter for employees, and provide sample templates you can customize for your organization.

Redeployment is the process of reviewing available internal roles and identifying matches for employees whose current roles are affected by organizational change, usually as an alternative to redundancy. 

Instead of terminating employment due to events such as restructuring, layoffs, or voluntary terminations, the employer reassigns the employee to another suitable position that matches their skills or experience, depending on the circumstances and company policies.

Employee redeployment typically includes:

• Internal job matching
• Consultations with employees
• Providing training or reskilling
• Communicating changes transparently
• Outlining new responsibilities in a formal letter

This process is often supported by HR teams and accompanied by redeployment periods, where employees can explore open internal roles before any redundancy takes effect. 

Redeployment creates a win–win situation for both employers and employees. Many organizations use redeployment as part of their broader talent management strategy, helping retain institutional knowledge while providing employees with continued job security. 

For employers, these redeployment benefits include talent and knowledge retention, cost savings from reduced recruitment and onboarding, stronger employer brand, and workforce flexibility to shift talent to areas of need quickly.

For employees, redeployment can provide stronger job security, more development opportunities for broadened skills and experience, career paths for internal advancement, and financial stability during times of transition.

Generally, employees continue to receive pay during redeployment. Most employers aim to maintain pay stability during redeployment, but any salary adjustments should be clearly documented in the redeployment letter. 

Compensation changes can occur depending on:

• The nature of the new role
• Location differences
• Grade or level changes
• Union or labor agreements

Ready to maximize the benefits of redeployment for your employees and organization? Click below to connect with our experts and learn how you can partner with Careerminds to handle internal transition strategies seamlessly.

A redeployment letter is an official written notification informing an employee that they are being reassigned to a different role, department, and/or location within the organization. The letter outlines the reason for the change, the effective date, expectations, compensation details, and any support or training the company will provide. 

In short, the redeployment letter formalizes and clarifies the reassignment to ensure that employees understand the transition and their options.

Before sending a redeployment letter, most organizations will have at least one conversation with the employee. Because redeployment can be an unexpected and emotional transition, best practice is to first discuss the situation in person (or via a video call) to ensure that the employee understands what’s happening and why.

During this conversation, managers or HR typically explain:

• Why their current role is affected
• What redeployment means in this scenario
• What new roles or departments are available
• How compensation or responsibilities may change
• The timeline for the transition
• Any provided support, training, and redeployment periods

This conversation allows the employee to ask questions, express concerns, and prepare for the formal written communication that follows. After this discussion, the redeployment letter serves as the official written confirmation and provides all details in a clear, structured format.

A clear and empathetic redeployment letter helps employees understand the situation and their next steps. Whether you’re writing a redeployment letter for an employee role change, a redeployment letter to another department, or a location-based transfer, the structure is similar.

A redeployment letter should include these nine key elements:

1. Introduction and purpose of the letter
2. Reason for redeployment
3. New role or department details
4. Effective date
5. New reporting structure
6. Compensation and benefits information
7. Training and onboarding support
8. Next steps and response instructions
9. HR contact information
   
   

Remember that redeployment can be an emotional transition, so it’s essential that HR leaders keep the tone of the letter informative and supportive.

Need help crafting your redeployment communications? Click below to speak with our experts about Careerminds’ redeployment services and how we can help ensure smooth and successful internal transitions for your employees.

Whether an employee must accept the redeployment letter is a nuanced issue that largely depends on local labor laws, their employment contract, and the specific circumstances surrounding the redeployment offer. 

In many cases, redeployment is presented as a way to avoid redundancy, but employees still retain certain rights when deciding whether to accept the new role.

Labor laws vary across states. In some regions, employers must offer suitable alternative employment before finalizing a redundancy. In others, employees are free to decline without legal consequences, though financial entitlements may be affected.

For example:

• Some jurisdictions such as Washington allow employees to refuse redeployment without losing severance if the new position is significantly different.
• Others such as Michigan and New York may consider refusal as voluntary resignation, which can impact unemployment benefits.

Because these rules vary so much, HR leaders must consult local legislation and legal counsel before beginning the redeployment process.

Employment contracts often include clauses about:

• Mobility (e.g., the ability to transfer employees between locations)
• Job flexibility
• Organizational restructuring
• Requirements to accept “reasonable” adjustments to duties

If a contract includes a broad mobility clause, the employer may have more authority to move the employee. If it does not, the employee may be within their rights to decline redeployment without penalty.

One of the most important considerations is whether the new role is considered “suitable alternative employment.” A redeployment offer is generally considered suitable if the new role is comparable to the employee’s current role in terms of:

• Pay
• Status or seniority level
• Hours of work
• Duties and responsibilities
• Required skills
• Commute or location

The more the new job mirrors the original one, the more likely it is to be deemed suitable.

If the offer is not a suitable alternative, due to reasons such as a major pay decrease, significantly different duties, or a much longer commute, employees typically have stronger grounds to decline without penalty.

A transparent redeployment policy also helps ensure consistency and fairness. Organizations often have internal policies that outline:

• How redeployment offers are presented
• How long employees have to consider them
• Whether employees can refuse
• Whether refusal impacts redundancy entitlements
  
  

Employee redeployment is a strategic approach that helps organizations retain talent, maintain business continuity, and support employees through transitions. The redeployment letter plays a critical role in formalizing the process and fostering transparency.

Here are the key takeaways:

• Redeployment provides a valuable alternative to redundancy: Employees are reassigned to suitable internal roles, helping employers retain institutional knowledge, cut costs, and enhance workforce flexibility, while providing employees with job security, skill development, and career growth.
• A redeployment letter formalizes the process: It clearly communicates the reason for the change, new role details, timing, compensation, and next steps.
• Communication is critical: Initial conversations and empathetic, well-structured redeployment letters help employees understand and embrace the transition.
• Employee consent may vary: Acceptance depends on local labor laws, employment contracts, company policies, and whether the new role is considered a suitable alternative.
• Professional support can simplify the process: HR teams and coaching services can manage assessments, training, and internal placement strategies, reducing the administrative burden.

Ready to support your team through redeployment? Connect with our experts to explore Careerminds’ fully managed redeployment solutions, including skills assessments, personalized coaching, and internal placement support.