Whirlpool has announced it is making “organizational changes.” The changes include layoffs, but the company is not specifying how many people will lose their jobs.
A Whirlpool Spokesperson released the following statement to FOX 28 News, “We communicated yesterday to employees regarding organizational changes in our North American Region. The changes are designed to create a more streamlined organization, allowing the company to operate more effectively, and to adapt more quickly, in current and forecasted market conditions. Most of Whirlpool Corporation’s U.S. and Canadian locations were included; however we will not be providing additional details by location. Employees whose jobs were affected were notified yesterday.
Employee meetings were held this morning at various Whirlpool locations to discuss the changes and allow employees an open venue to ask questions of Whirlpool leaders.
This is a difficult, but necessary adjustment as we address a volatile marketplace in which demand for major appliances is currently at recessionary levels. Out of respect for the privacy of our employees we are not sharing specific numbers, however the job adjustments are spread across locations in the U.S. and Canada.”
Whirlpool employs about 4,000 people in Benton Harbor, according to Cornerstone Alliance, an economic development group in the area.
“We are aware of the organizational effectiveness moves being made by Whirlpool Corporation and are concerned with some of the numbers being speculated within the community as to individuals impacted. We have heard rumors of job cuts in the realm of several hundred, which we know to be exaggerated,” said Cornerstone Alliance President Wendy Dant Chesser in a statement to FOX 28 News. “However, we also realize that the loss of even just one job greatly affects not only that employee and their family, but also the broader community. This is why Cornerstone Alliance is working aggressively to court new businesses to our region and support many of the existing companies in our area that continue to thrive, despite the downturn in the economy.”
