Aviva consults on cutting 800 mid-level jobs

Product provider Aviva could cut as many as 800 jobs from its middle management levels and below as part of its ongoing plan to cut costs.

A spokesperson for the company told FTAdviser that although a maximum of 800 people could leave Aviva as a result of these measures, the company would likely be managed down to fewer redundancies, with other employees being placed within the company or taking other alternatives.

The spokesperson said: “We have a really good record of keeping redundancies to a minimum.”

She added that this round of job cuts will be focused on the middle-management layer and below, with the company having finished its overhaul of upper management.

Aviva employs a total of about 18,500 people in the UK.

Last autumn, Aviva revealed plans to combine its Ireland operation with that of the UK, warning that the merge could result in up to 950 job losses.

The company said in a statement issued yesterday (23 August): “We’ve previously outlined plans to simplify our business and make it more efficient and agile. Today, we have briefed our UK employees about the next stage in this process, including sharing new team structures with them.

“The vast majority of our employees will be placed into roles with little change. Up to 800 roles could be at risk, although in practice it will be fewer than this because of natural turnover, voluntary redundancies and redeployment opportunities within Aviva. There will also be some new roles in growth areas.

“We recognise this is a difficult time for employees and will do everything we can to support them as we continue with our consultation process.”