After five years in business in Greeley, the former Xerox call center will permanently close at the end of March.
The company, now run by an offshoot of Xerox called Conduent Inc., will lay off 99 employees in its west Greeley office in a move that’s been simmering since this past summer. The call center concentrated on handing incoming calls for CVS Caremark, for Medicare Part D prescription drug claims for the elderly. Their last day of work will be March 31.
According to a company statement:
“Due to the changing business needs of a client supported by our Greeley operations, we are making the necessary yet difficult decision to wind down this facility,” the statement reads. “We realize this affects individuals and every effort is being made to ensure that all employees are treated fairly. Affected employees have the opportunity to apply to other positions within the company, including approximately 1,900 work-from-home jobs. Conduent will provide job-search assistance as employees seek new jobs. We will also provide a separation package to eligible employees.”
In the statement, the company said the move was driven only by the changing needs of a client.
“This decision impacts one specific unit dedicated to a single client and is not associated with Conduent’s previously announced separation from Xerox on Jan. 3.”
Xerox came to Greeley in 2012 with much fanfare, announcing a year later it planned to add 1,000 jobs to the area, and prompting attention from Gov. John Hickenlooper. The center came at a time when many were moving to the area to take advantage of the widening pool of employees.
The state has seen some Xerox downsizing for some time. In June, Cordelia Guevara of the Xerox Business Services notified the state Department of Labor and Employment of company officials’ plans to let go 85 employees in Aurora.
Though Conduent officials say they filed the required notification with the state of the Greeley office downsizing on Jan. 27, the state has yet to confirm that. When companies shut their doors, and put 50 or more people out of work, company officials are required to notify the state in what is called a WARN notice. The federal WARN act – Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification – requires notices of plant closures or mass layoffs 60 days in advance.
Xerox officially spun off its business services division in July, creating a company called Conduent.
On Jan. 3, the two separated under an agreement that Xerox shareholders received one share of Conduent common stock for every five they owned in Xerox. Conduent paid Xerox $1.8 billion, which is intended to help pay off $2 billion in debt, according to a Xerox company statement. The split will enable Xerox to focus on digital print technology and services, according to the Xerox statement.
