AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT VOYA FINANCIAL

New York, New York-based Voya Financial, the financial, retirement, investment and insurance company support center office resulting in laying off 267 employees. It appears that the decision was due to lease renewal considerations and the opportunity to consolidate contact center and back-office operations support in the Phoenix, Arizona area.

Layoffs of customer contact and support personnel will be staged starting in September 25, 2019 and run through April 30, 2020 as operations are transferred to the company’s temporary facilities in the Phoenix, Arizona metroplex.

Operations will undergo a second move to the company’s new 151,359-square-foot facility in Chandler, Arizona which will support call center, back-office, customer-support operations and functions for Voya’s Retirement, Employee Benefits and Individual Life businesses, as well as roles within human resources, IT, and business support. The new facility is scheduled to open in the second quarter of 2020. Anytime you have a movement of personnel, you also have the opportunity to adjust headcounts.

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life, or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE -- LAYOFFS AT QORVO

Greensboro, North Carolina-based Qorvo, semiconductor company that specializes in radio frequency communications circuitry, has announced a restructuring which will eliminate the company’s manufacturing operations at it Apopka, Florida facility and involve the elimination of 142 employees associated with the manufacturing functions. The facility manufactured surface acoustic wave filters which aided cell phones to produce clearer signals by eliminating unwanted frequencies. The Apopka facility will remain open as an engineering design center. Manufacturing will be transferred to the company’s other facilities.

There is little doubt that the company has been impacted by the U.S. Government’s decision to restrict sales of technology products to China’s largest telecommunications company Huawei which stands accused of modifying circuitry to allow back-door access to telecommunications gear. According to a company announcement, “Huawei and its affiliates have purchased multiple products from Qorvo’s Mobile Products and Infrastructure and Defense Products operating segments, and sales to Huawei and its affiliates accounted for approximately $469 million or 15% of Qorvo’s total revenue in its fiscal year ended March 30, 2019.”

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life, or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE -- LAYOFFS AT OSTROM'S MUSHROOM FARM

Olympia, Washington-based Ostrom’s Mushroom Farm has announced the closure of its mushroom production facility near Lacey, Washington and as a consequence will be laying off 239 employees. Mushroom production will be shifted to a new plant in Yakima, Washington, located approximately 180 miles Southeast of Lacey, and which is expected to be fully operation by the end of 2019. The closure is scheduled for the end of 2019 although approximately 40 workers will continue packing and shipping activities into 2020.

Ostum’s President, David Knudsen, noted, “It was a nice run, but we’re on to another stage of life.” According to Knudsen, the company ran out of space to expand and the character of the surrounding area is changing with the area’s residents complaining of an odor that is produced by outdoor composting operations. The property be put up for sale as a residentially-zoned property.

Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life, or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?