A former Woolworths manager has so far found 4,000 jobs for ex-colleagues, after accidentally setting up a job site.

Paul Seaton, a former senior manager for the retailer, explained: “A combination of the types of contracts a lot of people were on, and the fact that Woolworths was in administration so we weren’t entitled to enhanced redundancy pay, meant a lot of people got nothing at all. I was shocked that Woolworths did nothing to help, so I set up the site.”

WoolworthsReunited.com was intended to help ex-colleagues with the challenges they were facing. It gave them a forum for mutual support. It also offers help and advice on everything from claiming benefits to CV writing. In addition, Seaton wanted to help people find work, so he contacted other retailers.

“I wrote to the human resources departments of everyone in retail and asked them to put job vacancies on the site,” Seaton said. “I got a fantastic response. I had HR directors ringing me at home and asking how they could help.”

The site now features more than 8,000 jobs, mainly in retail, but also from employers looking for office staff.

Seaton told Recruiter he has had repeat business: “We initially got a lot of employers asking for a handful of staff. Then, when the first few employees started, the managers realised that ex-Woolworths employees are well trained and have a good work ethic. They are also good at stopping shoplifting. So they would come back graham simonsand ask for more staff.”

Alongside job postings, the site also features links to recruitment companies and Jobcentre Plus. A number of professionals are also offering free services from management coaching to financial advice.

Seaton isn’t trying to make money from the site; he simply felt it was his responsibility as a manager to help former employees find work.
“I was lucky enough to be well paid for what I did for Woolworths for 25 years, so I can afford to help other people who have been less fortunate,” he explained.

Although it is designed for ex-Woolworths employees, the site has also attracted a number of other job hunters, and has so far has had more than 333,000 hits.