Avaya is undergoing another round of layoffs this week.
It is believed that the affected Avaya employees were informed of the layoffs on Wednesday, November 6, the day after the US election.
One Avaya employee, who had only been with the business since June, wrote on LinkedIn: “Well, that was a shorter chapter than I was expecting, but here we are. Today was my last day with Avaya. I’m incredibly proud of the work we did and grateful for the people I got to know along the way(…) For my fellow Avaya colleagues also going through this transition—I can’t wait to see what’s next for all of us.”
Avaya said in a statement to UC Today:
“Avaya continues to align its investments in people and resources to enable us to compete and win in the marketplace. Our team has made great strides in FY24, focusing on customers to improve retention, extend contracts and achieve our targets.
“As we enter our FY25, we continue to align our people and investments to instil the disciplined and disproportionate focus on customers we are best positioned to serve and the innovations that are most crucial for their success.
“Avaya is uniquely positioned with the people and portfolio to deliver the comprehensive solutions the enterprise market demands – demonstrating our commitment to building and sustaining a profitable company.”
In July, Avaya announced its previous round of layoffs, cutting approximately 180 jobs. This reduction accounts for around three percent of the company’s total workforce and followed the significant number of jobs cut in the second half of 2022 in the run-up to Avaya filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy at the beginning of 2023.
However, the company was quick to position the news as a restructuring rather than mass layoffs. A spokesperson also confirmed that the layoffs had begun in June, coinciding with the company’s restructuring into new Americas, EMEA, and APAC divisions.
It is believed this most recent round of layoffs is much larger.
Prior to the layoffs, Avaya made headlines for the seemingly sudden decision of Alan Masarek, the company’s President and CEO, to retire at the end of the year. Masarek took the role of guiding Avaya out of bankruptcy last year and has overseen a dramatic change of guard in the company’s C-Suite. Patrick Dennis took over as CEO on September 1, intending to oversee its next chapter.
UC Today has approached Avaya for comment, and this story is developing.
