A Derby human resources specialist is urging business owners across the region to act now to avoid redundancies when the Chancellor鈥檚 furlough scheme ends in October.

Recent figures from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and recruiter Adecco show a 50% jump in the number of employers expecting to cut jobs compared to three months ago.

The survey also suggests that one in three 海角视频 employers expect to make staff redundant by the end of September.

Following similar figures released by the British Chambers of Commerce last month, Loates HR Consultancy, based at Darley Abbey Mills, has been raising awareness of how businesses across the East Midlands can avoid redundancies.

The company has recently published a series of blogs and social media posts highlighting this topic.

The team at Loates HR Consultancy has been spreading the word about alternatives to making redundancies
The team at Loates HR Consultancy has been spreading the word about alternatives to making redundancies

It is also providing more detailed guidance in a programme of webinars funded by D2N2 LEP and Leicestershire Business Gateway Growth Hub, in collaboration with East Midlands Chamber.

Loates鈥 co-owner Sarah Loates said: 鈥淐ommercially, it often does not make sense to cut costs in the short-term to only spend this three times over in the longer term on agency fees and other recruitment costs.

鈥淯nforeseen consequences also include the loss of 鈥榢now-how鈥 and the impact on client relationships.

鈥淭here will always be situations where sadly redundancies are the only option.

鈥淗owever, there are alternatives that could save jobs, but only if businesses are pro-active in executing these.

鈥淪ome employers have been publicly called to account for how they have handled redundancies, such as British Airways where some staff claim they have accepted voluntary redundancy because they felt 鈥榝orced into it鈥.

鈥淢ore imaginative ways to avoid redundancies range from deferring salary, deferring job offers, offering sabbaticals, career breaks and utilising statutory parental leave schemes.

鈥淚t is vital to engage the workforce early on to discuss and explore ways to avoid redundancies.

鈥淥ften, and understandably so, employers are reticent to engage with its employees for fear of causing uncertainty.

鈥淲e are working with many businesses at the planning stage of redundancies who are finding it hard to predict if work volumes will pick up.

鈥淚 would urge businesses to act promptly and involve their workforce as early as practically possible.鈥