Virgin Media to cut 600 top and middle management posts

newapollo · 19-09-2013, 13:33

UK cable company set to reduce staff by about 4% as new US owner Liberty Global looks to make it more 'agile and efficient'

Virgin Media's customer-facing teams will not be affected by the programme of cuts.

http://www.theguardian.com/media/201...nagement-posts

Virgin Media is to cut 600 posts among its top and middle management, as US cable giant Liberty Global looks to make its new £15bn acquisition into a more "agile and efficient" business.

The UK cable company is understood to have informed its 15,000 staff on Thursday of a 90-day consultation period to cut about 4% of its headcount.

Liberty Global, which owns cable businesses across Europe and in central and South America, is stripping senior and middle management out of its new UK subsidiary to remove duplication of roles and cut costs.

It is understood that there are about 120 top-level senior and executive directors at Virgin Media, with the redundancy process set to reduce that number by 25%.

Virgin Media's customer-facing teams – including centre workers and engineers – will not be affected by the programme of cuts.

The cuts follow the appointment in May of new Virgin Media chief executive Tom Mockridge, the former head of News UK and Sky Italia, and longtime Liberty Global senior executive Dana Strong to chief operating officer in June.

"Like organisations across the public and private sector, Virgin Media is making sure it has the structure it needs to meet the needs of its customers," said Mockridge. "These proposals are designed to take advantage of the opportunities that come with being part of the world's largest cable operator and create an organisation that's fit for growth."

Pierre · 19-09-2013, 14:44

It was only a matter of time.

A lot of Senior and middle management to go (which can't be a bad thing)

Also a lot of roles that are only needed if the company is its own entity and not a subsidury, as it is now. So some certain Finiancial and Legal posts.

Also they'll probably try and move a certain amount of work centrally Payroll, procurement etct, etc.

The synergies of size. Those of us that have been here a long time have seen it all before.

They've also been paying people off to go. Offering incentives to leave (obviously these do not reflect in the 600 announced.

Sirius · 19-09-2013, 16:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pierre

It was only a matter of time.

A lot of Senior and middle management to go (which can't be a bad thing)

Also a lot of roles that are only needed if the company is its own entity and not a subsidury, as it is now. So some certain Finiancial and Legal posts.

Also they'll probably try and move a certain amount of work centrally Payroll, procurement etct, etc.

The synergies of size. Those of us that have been here a long time have seen it all before.

They've also been paying people off to go. Offering incentives to leave (obviously these do not reflect in the 600 announced.

We were told today the chances of it affecting the team i am part of is very slim indeed.

19-09-2013, 19:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pierre

It was only a matter of time.

A lot of Senior and middle management to go (which can't be a bad thing)

Also a lot of roles that are only needed if the company is its own entity and not a subsidury, as it is now. So some certain Finiancial and Legal posts.

Also they'll probably try and move a certain amount of work centrally Payroll, procurement etct, etc.

The synergies of size. Those of us that have been here a long time have seen it all before.

They've also been paying people off to go. Offering incentives to leave (obviously these do not reflect in the 600 announced.

Managers still have wives and kids to support though.

Sirius · 19-09-2013, 19:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Top banana

Managers still have wives and kids to support though.

I think you will find the "(which can't be a bad thing)" statement relates to the fact that having less management can lead to faster decision making over all.

19-09-2013, 20:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirius

I think you will find the "(which can't be a bad thing)" statement relates to the fact that having less management can lead to faster decision making over all.

Ah ok, I agree with that.

Pierre · 20-09-2013, 05:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Top banana

Ah ok, I agree with that.

Indeed, VM has been top heavy with management for a long time.

Typical ladder being

CEO
GEC Officer
Executive Director
Director
Head of Department
Manager
Senior pleb/ team leader ( not always in place)
Pleb

denphone · 20-09-2013, 05:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sirius

We were told today the chances of it affecting the team i am part of is very slim indeed.

Praise by for that.

Sirius · 21-09-2013, 06:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pierre

Indeed, VM has been top heavy with management for a long time.

Typical ladder being

CEO
GEC Officer
Executive Director
Director
Head of Department
Manager
Senior pleb/ team leader ( not always in place)
Pleb

There is a lot of safety being at pleb level

21-09-2013, 08:25

because they do all the work Sirius?

---------- Post added at 09:25 ---------- Previous post was at 09:23 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pierre

Indeed, VM has been top heavy with management for a long time.

Typical ladder being

CEO
GEC Officer
Executive Director
Director
Head of Department
Manager
Senior pleb/ team leader ( not always in place)
Pleb

isn't pretty much everywhere the same? I think the management regime in place at the NHS for example is one of the main reasons it is falling over second only to all of the EU being able to come here and get electives done free

horseman · 21-09-2013, 08:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pierre

Indeed, VM has been top heavy with management for a long time.

Typical ladder being

CEO
GEC Officer
Executive Director
Director
Head of Department
Manager
Senior pleb/ team leader ( not always in place)
Pleb

Vending Machine Service Operative
Contractor
Office Cat….
Business User
Residential User
Non affiliated Forum respondent
VM H&S site forum respondent

I took the liberty of completing your hierarchical organisation chart….

Gavin78 · 21-09-2013, 21:12

Just on our hospital ward alone there are on average about 40 staff.

20 nurses on an average of 28k a year, 15 nursing assistants on an average of 17k a year 4 sisters on 35k a year and 1 senior sister (ward manager) on about 40k/45k a year

£7 million a year for patient treatment
£1.2 million for staff
Add another £1 million for odds and ends = call it 10 million a year that's just for 1 hospital ward.

there are 3 hospitals within a 4 mile radius the next closest one to mine has around 70 wards.

papa smurf · 22-09-2013, 11:31

i hope the elf and safety pillocks get the boot especially nob borris [not his real name but close enough ]
total waste space bunch of *****insert naughty word .

23-09-2013, 17:51

An interesting view from Mike Fries and Tom Mockridge

http://www.theguardian.com/media/201...media-analysis

Nidge41 · 25-09-2013, 17:57

Sounds like they've hired the hatchet man.