A protective award is supposed to punish the employer

The purpose of a protective award is not to compensate employees for the loss they have suffered, but rather to punish the employer for failing to consult. This was established in Susie Radin v GMB [2004] IRLR 400, a case brought by general union GMB when manufacturing firm Susie Radin failed to consult adequately over proposed redundancies.

This means that an employee is entitled to receive a protective award even if they have suffered no financial loss because they have already got another job.