Senior figures at Tesco Bank have come in the firing line for announcing they will lay off 200 jobs whilst also bringing in a ‘laughologist’ to support staff members' mental health.
Over 220 roles - five per cent - will be axed at offices in both Edinburgh and Glasgow as the supermarket giant bank said that they were making cuts to their workforce. The vast majority of the lost roles are believed to be at the Edinburgh branch at South Gyle Crescent.
Those working at the bank are understood to be livid as they were informed about the redundancy process on Monday, which was followed by news that Dave Keeling, a professional trainer and comedian, was booked for the Edinburgh office in October.
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Keeling’s role is a ‘lead happiness consultant’ at a training firm named Laughology. Workers who had been told their careers were on the line have been encouraged to pay for their travel to see the ‘laughologist’ where they will have the opportunity to win a day’s holiday or a gift card, the Record reports.
Bank bosses have argued that they will be creating hundreds of new jobs despite the fact they are also axing hundreds of current members of staff. It is believed that the booking for the ‘laughologist’ was to mark World Mental Health Day and it was not connected to the redundancies in any way.
One disgruntled worker, who spoke with the Record anonymously, said the timing of the event is 'sticking in people's throats'.
She said: "Hundreds of staff have been put at risk of redundancy with the powers that be claiming they are creating over 200 new roles. To give an idea of scale there are currently 33 call centre managers, and in the new structure there will be 15.
"One member of the executive committee told us they've got 'great news' - they've secured a 'laughologist' who will be running a session in our Edinburgh office next week. That's really sticking in people's throats."
They added: "The staff who have been involved in telling us about the redundancies have done so with no empathy or support. We are furious, disappointed and annoyed at the way this has been handled - especially the laughologist.
"Who has anything to laugh about at a time like this? And imagine winning [the day of holiday]: bye, you've lost your job, here's an extra day off, so you can leave the business a day early?"
Workers facing the sack are also facing the double sting of losing not only their job but also their 'colleague Clubcard', which gives them a 10% discount on food, 20% discount on F&F clothing and 50% discount on own-brand period products - during the country's ongoing and unprecedented cost-of-living crisis.
The staffer said: "Not only could we potentially have no job but with cost of living increasing this small discount on food and on clothes can make a big difference. Basically, our roles finish up on October 28 and our discount stops that day too."
Tesco Bank - which offers credit cards, loans and insurance - says it is moving to a more "agile" way of working. A source at the bank said the Laughology booking was "unrelated" to the job cuts, and claimed it had been announced beforehand.
A bank spokesperson said: "We’re reorganising our business around the needs of our customers and making fundamental changes to the way we work. We believe these changes will deliver an improved experience for our customers as a result of a more efficient operating model.
“This will lead to opportunities for many of our colleagues through the creation of new roles but will regrettably result in a reduction in the total number of roles across Tesco Bank. A consultation period is underway and it’s our priority to ensure all our colleagues are fully supported throughout the process.
"This involves both collective consultation with a union, and individual consultation with any colleague who is affected by these changes. We will continue to provide as much information and support as possible for our colleagues.”
The Record contacted Laughology for comment. It describes itself as hosting "legendary learning and development workshops...built around the psychology of workplace wellbeing and happiness."
Keeling's profile on the site says that he specialises in 'change management'. The website says: "At Laughology, we understand that happy people work better."
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