Dutch employers centralising work after an acquisition must link a business-economic dismissal to work that has structurally disappeared. A new organisation chart is not enough. Work that moves or receives a new title can affect the dismissal sequence and the search for suitable redeployment.
Why this matters
Centralisation can divide local duties among head office, a regional manager and existing staff. Your business file must show that same model throughout. Check job descriptions, payroll, reporting lines, signing authority and recruitment records. Cash is affected too. Notice-period wages, transition compensation, advice, training and a dispute can reduce the expected saving. Review group vacancies and roles due to open before dismissal.
Example
A buyer removes a local management role. Finance approvals move to head office, while a regional manager takes staff planning. Meanwhile, the local team still deals with supplier problems. Although the role may be gone, its duties did not disappear together. The employer needs a record of every duty, its new owner and the difference from remaining roles. A vacancy with similar duties under a new title can undermine that record.
XTROVERSO tips
- Map the work before and after. List every duty in the old role. Record whether each task stops, moves or remains. Name the employee or team taking over the work.
- Compare duties, not titles. Check actual authority, knowledge, skills, pay, reporting lines and daily work. A new title does not by itself create a different function.
- Review the relevant group. List vacancies and roles expected to open during the redeployment period. Include relevant group companies. Assess whether training could make a vacancy suitable.
- Build one dated record. Link the acquisition, management decision, employee communication, any sickness report, UWV application and implementation. Conflicting dates invite questions about the file.
- Reconcile the business files. Compare the reorganisation plan with payroll, budgets, access rights, signing powers, contracts and recruitment records. Each file should reflect the same structure.
- Calculate the full cash effect. Include notice-period wages, transition compensation, advice, training, recruitment and possible litigation. Monitor whether the former work returns within 26 weeks.
Need a clear review of your reorganisation file before you act? We can test the records, costs and timeline
The data, sourcing, and analysis behind this article were conducted by Linda Pavan. AI was not used to identify sources, build the factual basis, or produce the analytical judgment contained here. AI was used only as a drafting aid. The final English text was personally reviewed, edited, and approved by Linda Pavan before publication.
References
- UWV — Ontslag om bedrijfseconomische redenen
- UWV — Afspiegelingsbeginsel en uitwisselbare functies
- Wettenbank — Ontslagregeling
- UWV — Uitvoeringsregels ontslag om bedrijfseconomische redenen, juli 2025
- Rijksoverheid — Ontslag tijdens ziekte of arbeidsongeschiktheid
- Rijksoverheid — Wat te doen bij ontslag
