14 DAY TRIAL // Layoffs are nasty business, especially when they come in huge waves, and Dell is about to make a lot of people sad this February. Not the kind of news you'd want this close to Valentine's Day, but there you have it.
According to The Register, Dell will lay off about 15,000 employees this week, which accounts for 15% of its global workforce, which is of 108,000.
Since the company has already fired a significant number of people in January, this can come as either a nasty surprise or an expected follow-up.
A nasty surprise because you'd think that, if nothing else, rounds of layoffs wouldn't come so close together.
An expected follow-up because layoff plans usually span entire quarters or years. Although, technically, figures like 15,000 are the ones spread over an entire year.
That Dell is firing them all in one week means that the company is seriously bent on reformatting its operations as quickly as possible.
Dell has actually commented on the report, although it has only said that “The Register's reporting is inaccurate” and that a “small percentage” of Dell's global team members have accepted the offer Dell made in December. “Small percentage” doesn't exactly exclude the reported 15% though.
Sadly, this could mean any number of things, from “Dell isn't firing anyone” to “Dell has decided on a different number of pink slips.”
Anyway, Dell is consolidating its support staff into one “umbrella” and melding consumer and commercial support, for a better “Pro Support” offering. Engineering staff may be cut as well though, not just support staff.
All the people getting the boot will be given two months' worth of pay as a severance package, plus an extra week of pay for each year of service. A bonus at 75% and COBRA health insurance for 18 months in the US is included as well, plus outplacement services.