Stepnell to close regional office

Contractor Stepnell is to close its Bromsgrove office as it looks to consolidate the business in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

The office employs 37 people, putting their jobs at risk,
although there are 24 vacancies at the firm’s Rugby office and Stepnell said it
hoped workers from the Bromsgrove office could be redeployed there.

• Stepnell ends coronavirus pay cuts early

The news came just days after Stepnell announced that it was
ending its coronavirus-related pay cuts of up to 20% early.

Tom Wakeford, joint managing director of Stepnell said: “As
a business, Stepnell has been looking at the post covid world and how it will
affect the way we work as a business and as a sector – in terms of our people
and our offices.

“Like other businesses, we have identified that we can
consolidate operations and our board has decided our Bromsgrove office is no
longer required. All our current and future opportunities can be resourced from
our Rugby office which will continue to service the West Midlands market.

“We are currently consulting with 37 colleagues from our
Bromsgrove office and there are 24 vacant roles available for them at the Rugby
office – and we hope to redeploy more colleagues in the coming weeks.

“Stepnell needs to remain competitive and we are continuously
looking at our cost base and identifying opportunities for greater
efficiency.  It also follows our
announcement last week where we were able to cease our pay cuts for employees
two weeks early.”