Parcelforce’s HR team is to be reduced by more than two-thirds as part of
the company’s aim to save £370m a year.
The company, which is losing £15m a month, is reducing the 34-strong head
office HR team to 11 in a bid to make the delivery service profitable by 2005.
The move is part of Parcelforce’s restructuring, which includes
sub-contracting out a quarter of its delivery routes, scrapping three-day
deliveries, halving the number of sorting depots and reducing staff numbers by
5,000 to 6,700.
The move includes the merging of employee and industrial relations
department. The training and resourcing department will also merge, with the
responsibility for delivery of training moving to regional HR teams, and the
health and safety department will be reduced.
Jon Millidge, personnel director at Parcelforce, said the move aims to make
HR more strategic.
"The business is halving in size so there is no need for the same
number of HR people. The emphasis will change to the (HR) team concentrating on
policy and how it is deployed but not actually delivering it."
Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance
Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday
Parcelforce’s restructuring starts in July, and the HR changes should be
completed next March.
Millidge said: "There was shock among the HR staff when the changes
where announced. But all the HR staff are professional people who can easily
find jobs elsewhere. Being involved in a HR project of reducing a business of
this size will be good experience for HR professionals."
