Man Utd staff given one week to decide whether to resign as Sir Jim Ratcliffe continues merciless financial crackdown

An email was sent to every Manchester United non-football employee on Tuesday afternoon inviting en-masse resignations. It appears to be driven by cost-cutting following new minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe's move into power. Staff have until midday on June 5, eight days from receiving the email to decide whether they want to continue working at the club, with The Athletic reporting that some consider it more a programme of "voluntary redundancy", rather than the "voluntary resignation" the club is describing. The Guardian further explains that staff have been offered early payment of an annual bonus that would normally be due in September if they choose to leave now.

The invitation to resign is a consequence of the recent instruction for all staff to work full-time from the club's various office sites at Carrington, Old Trafford and in London. The email acknowledged that "a number of colleagues prefer not to commit to this new way of working and are keen to understand their options". But the offer to leave is also open to those already based onsite full-time. There seems to be a degree of the new INEOS regime preparing a clean slate from which to implement their culture at the club. Ratcliffe had rather coldly told staff with regard to ending the flexible 'work from home' policy: "If you don't like it, please seek alternative employment." One significant problem that exists is not enough office space to accommodate all current staff.

A spokesperson for the club said: "This isn't a voluntary redundancy programme. The club recognises that not everyone wants to work from the office full-time so has provided options for staff who don't wish to return to the office to step away now."

Manchester United recorded a £42 million ($53.6m at today's rate) loss for the 2022-23 season, despite raking in what was at the time a Premier League record revenue of £648.4m. The club employs more than 1,000 people in various roles and it is suggested that saving on staff costs will both help them comply better with financial regulations and invest in the playing squad.

How many staff actually take up the offer of walking away won't be known until next week and beyond, but it is increasingly clear that Ratcliffe's influence at United extends far beyond the sporting operations that was originally expected when he bought his minority stake from the Glazer family in December 2023.