Former and current staff at Asda in Weymouth have described their shock and disappointment after employees who accepted voluntary redundancy were reportedly given only a matter of days before their employment ended.
The situation has left some colleagues questioning the way the redundancies have been handled, with one former colleague describing the treatment of long-serving staff as “absolutely disgusting”.
The ex-colleague, who has asked Dorset Gazette not to identify them, said changes had been introduced around working hours and the expectation that colleagues would be trained to work across
different areas of the store.
According to the former colleague, staff were subsequently offered the opportunity to take voluntary redundancy, with a number of employees accepting the offer.
However, they claim those who accepted were not initially told how long they would be expected to remain at work before leaving.
The former colleague said:
one employee arrived for work on a Saturday morning only to be told that it would be their final day.
Others were reportedly informed that their final day would be the following Monday.
“No time to plan anything, just kicked out the door.”
They added that the situation had had a significant impact on staff morale, saying it was now “rock bottom” following efforts by employees to build morale within the workplace.
The former colleague also expressed disappointment that some departing staff had not been given an opportunity to say goodbye properly to colleagues who had become friends during their years working at the store.
“There was no chance to do a collection or even say goodbye to colleagues who have become friends,” they said.
Changes to checkout operations
The comments come amid reports of wider changes to checkout operations at the store. Another member of staff previously told Dorset Gazette that Asda was planning to remove traditional checkout operations sometime next year, with several older checkout operators reportedly choosing voluntary redundancy.
“They're getting rid of the checkouts by sometime next year so a lot of the older checkout operators took voluntary redundancy.”
One employee facing redundancy also previously described the speed of the process as a shock, saying they had expected the notice period to extend into the busy Christmas trading period.
“I'm really shocked it was that quick. I was presuming they were going to make us do 12 weeks notice plus kick it down the alley a bit to get them through Christmas golden quarter. Then our Xmas present would be redundancy.”
Questions over the handling of redundancies
The reports raise questions about how the redundancy process has been communicated to affected employees, particularly regarding notice periods and arrangements for colleagues who have accepted voluntary redundancy.
For long-serving employees, the sudden nature of their departure has also prompted concerns about whether staff have been given sufficient opportunity to prepare for the end of their employment and to say goodbye to colleagues.
The comments received by Dorset Gazette are from employees and former employees and have not been independently verified.
Dorset Gazette has approached Asda for comment on the reported redundancies and the circumstances surrounding the short notice reportedly given to some employees.
Asda has also been asked to clarify:
• How many employees at the Weymouth store have accepted voluntary redundancy.
• Whether any compulsory redundancies are taking place.
• What notice periods affected employees have been given.
• Whether checkout operations at the Weymouth store are due to be removed or significantly reduced.
• Whether further changes to staffing are planned.
• What support is being provided to affected colleagues.
Dorset Gazette will update this article if Asda provides a response.
If you have been affected by changes at Asda Weymouth and would like to speak to Dorset Gazette confidentially, please contact our newsroom. [email protected]