Northamptonshire hotel that employs more than 400 people consults with staff over job losses

A Northamptonshire hotel that employs hundreds of staff has entered a redundancy consultation with its team members.

Whittlebury Hall has more than 400 employees, of which 360 have been on furlough since the establishment was ordered to close on March 21.

Since the closure, enforced by the coronavirus pandemic, bosses have been working on possible reopening strategies, taking into account the reduced demand and the change in furlough pay coming into force in August, which has led them to start the redundancy process. It has not been specified how many jobs are affected.

The decision to enter the consultation has been described as ‘regrettable’ by the business.

Colleagues at the hotel have this week been told that their employer is now entering into a redundancy consultation.

One member of staff who told the Chronicle & Echo that they ‘love their job’, said: “I am absolutely beside myself and I am now at my wits end.

“It would just be nice to wake up knowing my job is safe, rather than not sleeping properly, having a terrible headache from worry.

“It also seems a pity that a family run business such as Whittlebury Hall cannot be helped more by the Government, so that when they are able to reopen, jobs, especially so many at such a worrying time, could be saved.”

The redundancies will be made in certain areas of the business, which have not been specified as yet.

The business has also not yet announced how many jobs are at a risk.

A spokeswoman for Whittlebury Hall said: “As a result of this re-evaluation of our business, we are offering voluntary redundancy to those whose roles have been affected.

“Regrettably, we are also having to enter into a period of collective consultation with our team, as required by law.

“We are hopeful that any compulsory job losses will be small in number, thereby allowing us to retain as many roles as we can.

“We see our team member colleagues as vital to the continuing viability of our business.

“We are therefore very much looking to balance our long-term viability (including our ability to protect jobs) with the shorter-term interests of team member colleagues.

“With that in mind, we are also offering enhanced mental health support to our team member colleagues at this time.”

Since the hospitality industry was shut down in March, the hotel has seen a ‘dramatic impact’ on its revenue for the foreseeable future, which is one of the reasons for the redundancy consultations.

The spokeswoman added: “Whittlebury Park’s business comprises of various market segments of which all have been impacted by the Government requiring hospitality to close its doors to its valued team members and guests.

“Whilst we and the rest of the hospitality industry are waiting for the government to communicate its reopening guidelines, Whittlebury Park has been exploring all reopening

strategies in line with the obvious decline in demand that we face over the coming months and in a way that has the least impact on our valued team member colleagues.

“The shutdown of our business for the past three months, and with the recent government announcement that employers will have to make additional contributions to the pay of furloughed staff from August, will have a dramatic impact on our revenue for the foreseeable future.”

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