AM I NEXT? NO LOVE -- LAYOFFS AT GILEAD SCIENCES (11/17/24)

NOVEMBER 17, 2024 — 104 CORPORATE EMPLOYEES

The company has announced an initiative to prioritize resources that will result, among other things, the impending office closures in Seattle, Washington, and Philadelphia, Philadephia, and the termination of 104 headquarters, including senior-level executives, employees located in Foster City, California, between March 14, 2025, and April 30, 2025.

A company spokesperson noted, “Gilead is prioritizing resources as we prepare for six potential new launches by the end of 2030. Our business is performing well, and our clinical momentum continues to accelerate. We are also making changes to further align resources with our long-term strategic goals. This includes relocating some teams and closing some offices.”

MARCH 9, 2022 — 114 EMPLOYEES IN NEW JERSEY

The company has announced that it will be laying off 114 workers located at the former Immunomedics headquarters located in Morris Plains, New Jersey. The layoffs will be staged in April, September, and December of 2022.

Administrative operations will be transferred to an as-yet-unannounced site in New Jersey.

APRIL 22, 2019 — Original post

Foster City, California-based biotechnology firm Gilead Sciences has announced that they are planning to reduce their sales force by 20%, approximately 150 long-time salespeople in their cardiopulmonary division. The decision was driven by two of the company’s profitable drugs, Ranexa and Letairis, which lost patent protection.

According to a company spokesperson, “With the anticipated entry of generic versions of Letairis and Ranexa, Gilead made the decision to lay off about 150 cardiopulmonary sales representatives. This decision was put into motion almost two years ago, as the organization began to plan for the entry of generics. Gilead has worked with the impacted employees to provide ample notice and to help them plan for their transitions. The efforts and dedication of our cardiopulmonary employees have been deeply appreciated.”

It appears that Gilead’s new CEO, Roche Pharmaceuticals veteran, Daniel O’Day, appears to be unfairly targeted for a decision that was made two years ago. There is little doubt that the company faces financial and legal challenges in the near future which begs the question, is this employee reduction sufficient to mitigate investor dissatisfaction and becoming a target for activist investors?

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 ... are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE -- LAYOFFS AT FLUOR IDAHO

APRIL 19, 2019 - FLUOR IDAHO LAYOFFS

In response to the closure and phase-out of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Mixed Waste Treatment Project in Idaho Falls, Idaho, Fluor Idaho, a subsidiary of Irving, Texas-based multinational engineering and construction firm Fluor, is restructuring its operations. The company is soliciting voluntary layoffs in order to reduce the headcount by 190 employees in the fiscal year 2019. If voluntary separations are inadequate to achieve Fluor’s target, there will be forced layoffs. The reduction in force should come as no surprise to the employees or the community as the company made its intentions known when the DOE announced the closure.

The company and the community fought to keep the facility open but a Department of Energy feasibility study of extending the AMWTP mission to treat waste from other DOE sites concluded it would not be cost-effective. A DOE spokesperson noted, “Therefore, upon completion of the mission, DOE will initiate closure activities in accordance with regulatory permits and the existing Fluor Idaho contract.”

Because many workers belong to craft unions, it is difficult to simply transition them to other positions controlled by different unions and contracts.

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 ... are you now wondering, Am I Next?

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE -- LAYOFFS AT TELEPERFORMANCE

Salt Lake City, Utah-based Teleperformance USA, a business process outsourcer, has announced that they will be permanently closing their Dallas, Texas call center. The shut-down will result in the loss of 390 positions. According to a company spokesperson, the company "recently made plans to change the structure of our customer service organization. Specifically, the changes relate to how we will handle customer inquiry calls and where those inquiry calls are answered." The company’s Fairborn facility Dayton, Ohio was similarly closed, resulting in the loss of 334 positions.

Teleperformance SE, parent of Teleperformance USA and based in Paris, France, is one of the largest business process outsourcers in the world with 300,000 employees working in 350 contact centers located in 80 countries to serve over 170 specific markets. Within this international context, continuing automation, self-help websites, and the flexibility to select service locations in low-cost areas are a definite plus when providing services to large companies.

As with any position with a contract-driven call center or business process outsourcer, employees should be aware of the risks in attempting to secure well-paid long-term positions.

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 ... are you now wondering, Am I Next?