So what happens when your mobile phone division is returning lackluster results? You nix half the design team. All 121 designers at Motorola’s Birmingham, England design center are at risk of being considered redundant. Half of the staff will be given their pink slips or the entire center will be shut down. Of course, they have 90 days to get everything sorted before anything is set in stone and they may not all lose their jobs entirely.
“Since the beginning of 2007 Motorola has been public about its commitment to returning the company’s Mobile Devices business to its market-leading position by improving profitability, driving product portfolio enhancements and rationalising costs.
“As a result it is proposed that the Birmingham site will need to reduce headcount by approximately 50 per cent which may potentially require the closure of the site.
“Therefore, all employees will initially be placed at ‘risk of redundancy’ whilst alternative opportunities including redeployment, relocation, flexible working/home working or the opportunity of a ‘service site’ arrangement are investigated as part of the consultation process.”