Coronavirus Hub
Coronavirus Hub

Be inspired

How did other businesses step up?


  • Midcounties Co-op has employed temporary workers formerly in the hospitality sectors who do not have work due to COVID-19 
  • Reed has relaunched its Keep Britain Working campaign (originally set up after the financial crash) to help keep people in work and reduce unemployment
  • Pernod has partnered with The Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET) to offer Level 1 Spirits courses online for free for former hospitality workers
  • The Freight Transport Associations has launched #LogisticsHelpsLogistics, a new social media campaign which seeks to help companies and workers in the sector by connecting them with available logistics staff and companies
  • AnyGood? is offering its platform for free so employers can recommend employees who have been made redundant.

What have we achieved?


Over the last few months, the CBI brought businesses together through our Redeploying People Working Group to help redeploy people. We have:

  • Brought together over 40 businesses - making connections between businesses offering / needing help
  • Shared resources, guidance and good practice on redeploying people – including our series of case studies showcasing both internal and external redeployment
  • Worked closely with government to address policy barriers preventing businesses from redeploying people, including feeding business concerns on legal barriers into government and getting clarity on how redeployment works within the Job Retention Scheme rules.
Case studies

Learn from other businesses who've benefited from redeployment

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  • Mid Counties Co-op: staying open, supporting communities and meeting increased demand through redeployment

    Read their story

  • Compass Group UK and Ireland: keeping people working to provide essential services to customers and financial stability for employees

    Read their story

Explore the support on offer from other firms


  • Pearson’s UK Learns provides online courses to help the UK workforce learn new skills and earn qualifications or accreditations that could open up better career opportunities.
  • The government has launched the Skills Toolkit, on online learning portal, with open and flexible courses which employees can use to develop their digital skills.
  • Talent Exchange is a free job matching platform, powered by eightfold.ai and supported by McKinsey and Company. The platform matches candidates to jobs using AI-based skills and hiring requirements to support employers and individuals impacted by the COVID-19 crisis. Find out more
  • Agriculture: Pick for Britain amalgamates agriculture job opportunities
  • Engineering, manufacturing, aerospace and technology: Talent Retention Solutions supports redeployment and skills development across sectors
  • Aviation: Miramar Connect matches ex-cabin crew with jobs in different sectors, based on their experience
  • Social care: North London Councils’ Proud to Care Portal has adult social care redeployment opportunities.

Find out more about our work



  • Join our People & Skills Networks

    These are forums for peer-to-peer sharing and consider the key HR challenges and opportunities affecting UK business, including political and legal developments as well as workplace trends. Topics include diversity and inclusion, immigration, skills and current labour market trends. 

    Join a network

  • Get involved in the CBI’s skills for the future campaign

    We’re calling on government to ensure the current and future workforce has the right routes to access new skills - from education through to retraining - developed in conjunction with the real-world requirements of business.

    View the campaign

  • Redeploying people was part of the CBI’s Biggest Challenges Project

    Redeploying People was part of a wider initiative to bring businesses together to address the social and economic challenges presented by coronavirus. You may also read more about our mental health challenge - which helped businesses step up to support employees and their families - and our helping families in hardship challenge – which looked at supporting initiatives that help vulnerable groups.