Evri, which was acquired by private equity firm Apollo Global Management for £2.7bn last week, is to recruit for 8,000 more couriers and 1,000 warehouse and supporting roles due to an increase in the number of parcels being delivered since the Covid-19 pandemic.
However Evri has faced criticism for its people strategy in the past, causing Labour MP Carolyn Harris to suggest, in January 2023, that Evri be investigated over working conditions and customer service.
The company must ensure that its expansion does not come at the expense of current employees' experience, said Natasha Kearslake, director of HR consultancy Organic P&O Solutions, speaking to HR magazine.
She said: “Evri's ambitious recruitment drive will present a major challenge for its HR team. While it's positive to see the creation of so many jobs in the current economic climate, it's crucial that expansion doesn't come at the expense of existing staff or service quality.
"HR needs to walk a tightrope as the company opens the floodgates to a significant number of new employees. On one hand, they must ensure a smooth onboarding process for the influx of new hires. On the other, they need to reassure current employees that their roles and working conditions won't be compromised.”
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Employers should create a plan to mitigate the impact of expansion, commented Laura Dangerfield, director of employee experience at management consultancy WTW.
Speaking to HR magazine, she said: “Employers need to understand the potential impact of expansion – both negative and positive.
“Where there might be a negative impact (such a lack of capacity in core functions to respond to the increased need), employers can then put a plan in place to mitigate these effects.
“Listening to existing employees is a critical place to start, whether through existing listening efforts or by investing in one-off listening exercises to gather both quantitative and qualitative data.”
Expansion could also pose an opportunity for HR to create a new people strategy that works for all employees, added Kearslake.
She continued: "Given past criticisms, Evri's HR team should use this expansion as an opportunity to overhaul their people strategy.
“Poor working conditions could be avoided by creating better ways for employees to feedback on issues, communicate with leaders, and address job satisfaction issues.”
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This can then be communicated to new recruits and to existing employees, to emphasise the reason for expansion, Kearslake noted.
"When talking to external audiences and potential jobseekers, HR needs to be proactive and transparent. They should highlight the positive impact of job creation, honestly address past criticisms and outline the steps being taken to improve,” she said.
“Evri could quickly turn around its image by providing regular updates on employee satisfaction metrics and highlighting investment in staff development.”
In a statement, Evri representatives said that expansion would help the firm deliver four million parcels each day.
An Evri spokesperson told HR magazine that it planned to support existing employees amid the expansion.
They said: “[The recruitment drive] will support our existing colleagues as we manage significant increases in parcel volumes whilst helping us maintain high service levels.
“All of Evri’s workers, fully employed and self-employed, are paid above the National Living Wage and each courier is entitled to access our GMB-backed self-employed plus model, which includes benefits such as holiday pay, the right to guaranteed pay, auto-enrolment into a pension, and the right to maternity and paternity leave.
“We also recently partnered with benefits platform Onsi, which provides benefits to couriers such as access to digital GPs, mental health support, and discounts on everyday expenses as part of their standard benefits package.”
