The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 7 letter word EMPLOYS
I've seen this crossword clue in The Daily Telegraph
E
M
P
L
O
Y
S
Buddy explains!

The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does EMPLOYS mean?
EMPLOYS verb- To hire (somebody for work or a job).
- To use (somebody for a job, or something for a task).
- To make busy.