Red circles: we froze 41 people in 2023, and here is where they are three years later

I would not reduce pay at the end of the period under any circumstances. The legal and morale cost outweighs the saving for a handful of people. Freeze, pay lump sums at half the normal award, and let time do the work. Some cases take eight years. That is fine.

Did the lump sums match what people would have had as a base increase? I ask because a full-value lump sum makes red-circling almost painless, which removes the incentive to move into a properly graded role.

Full value, and that is a fair criticism. Of the nine who remain, I doubt any feel pressure to change role. If we do this again it would be a time-limited freeze with lump sums tapering from 100% to 50% over three years, and a career conversation in year one, not year three.