A COUNTY HR expert is calling for businesses to provide real support to those at risk of redundancy.

Following recent announcements from Boots and John Lews that job cuts are incoming, Michael Doolin, of Clover HR, says employers have a "moral obligation" to support the workers they may have to let go.

He said: "Obviously we respect that cash-flow is limited and businesses have to make cutbacks which means that in some cases job losses are unavoidable, but employers still have a responsibility to those that they once called colleagues and a moral obligation to do the right thing.

"There are a number of things employers can do to support staff that are at risk of redundancy, which don’t require a huge amount of investment.

"This has been an extremely stressful time for many and counselling is a route that some might benefit from, particularly as they face an uncertain time.

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"For others, basic CV writing or interview preparation and technique might be a real benefit, especially if they are looking for a job perhaps for the first time in a while.

"For those that are at interview stage a swift response to reference requests and even a proactive testimonial, perhaps on Linked In could go a long way."

Mr Doolin said his call for employers to ‘do the right thing’ is a bid to stop communities feeling the full force of proposed job losses and a chance to help those soon to be out of work to find employment again.

He added: "We live in a very small world and we depend upon the support of one another to survive and thrive, especially in the next few months.

"While jobs may go at one employer, they might be able to offer support to help ex-workers get a job at another local business and so continue to support the local communities in which they are based."

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To deal with a future that is far from certain, Clover HR is working with businesses from Worcestershire, Manchester, Birmingham and across the West Midlands to understand each organisation’s ability to deal with ongoing uncertainty and change and offer the necessary support in order to protect jobs.

Mr Doolin said: "At Clover HR, we feel that job losses are the final stage of a long process of cost cutting and negotiation.

"We use a model that treats each business as an onion and we have a number of layers of costs that we are able to identify and peel away in order to try to save jobs.

"We urge all businesses considering redundancies to seek the expert help that may prevent this from happening."