Sir Jim Ratcliffe is trying to reduce the number of employees at Manchester United and staff have now been offered the chance to quit with the early payment of a bonus
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is offering Manchester United staff the early payment of a bonus in an effort to trim the number of employees at the club.
Ratcliffe is attempting to revolutionise the way things work across the board at United after completing a £1.3billion deal for 27.7 per cent of the club in February. While the focus has been on the hiring of Omar Berrada from Manchester City as chief executive, as part of major changes in the boardroom, the petrochemicals billionaire also has an eye on things lower down the food chain.
As Mirror Football reported in March, Ratcliffe wants to cut around a quarter of all staff at the club as part of a money-saving effort. Employees who are not a scout or on the playing staff received an email on Tuesday which outlined the new regime’s desire for all employees to return to the club’s offices in London or Manchester.
Those who do not wish to do so are being offered the chance to leave the organisation with a bonus, which would ordinarily be paid in September. They have been given until June 5 to decide whether to take “voluntary resignation” or they must return to the office by June 1.
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The Guardian has seen the email, which reads: “Whilst many have welcomed our new approach, we are aware that a number of colleagues prefer not to commit to this new way of working and are keen to understand their options. With this feedback in mind and the fact that we respect each colleague’s right to choose their approach to work, we will allow those who wish to resign now to claim their bonus early for this season if they cannot work from our offices from 1 June.”
The move is intended to “bring substantial benefits for individuals, teams, and the wider club and support our journey to return Manchester United to footballing success”. United made a loss of £28.7m in its most recent accounts, despite posting record revenues and Ratcliffe wants to tighten the belt.
A United spokesperson said: “This isn’t a voluntary redundancy programme. The club recognises that not everyone wants to work from the office full-time so has provided options for staff who don’t wish to return to the office to step away now.” United are reconfiguring space at Old Trafford and at their London office in order to accommodate more staff, many of whom have been working from home.
United have the largest staff of any Premier League club, with nearly 1,200 people – more than Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal, who all have fewer than 1,000 staff. After taking control of United, Ratcliffe employed consultants to identify areas where streamlining could take place.
Following the end of the 2033/24 season, United are carrying out a review which will determine the future for manager Erik ten Hag, who is expected to be replaced. Ratcliffe, his right-hand man Sir Dave Brailsford, acting chief executive Jean-Claude Blanc and new technical director Jason Wilcox are the prominent voices deciding the route forwards.
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