Mass Layoffs at Foundever: A Closer Look
This summer, approximately 1,000 employees were let go from Foundever, all of whom were part of the company's contract with Rogers. This important reduction in workforce highlights a troubling trend as Foundever appears to be scaling back its Canadian support staff considerably over the past year.
Rogers has stated that it has “made changes to our vendor mix,” but it has not taken responsibility for these layoffs. The company refrained from commenting on the apparent shift away from human customer support roles. The recent job cuts at Foundever affected various positions, including tech support, customer care representatives, team managers, and call center staff.
In an email response to inquiries about these layoffs, Rogers mentioned that thay continue to serve customers across Canada through both their internal teams and third-party partners. They emphasized that most agents are based in Canada and assured there would be no impact on their internal customer service team.
The Numbers Behind the Layoffs
While Foundever claimed it did not lay off 1,000 employees outright and did not disclose specific figures regarding job losses, they acknowledged that changes with Rogers impacted a small fraction of their canadian workforce. A source familiar with Rogers’ call centers indicated that around 900 call center jobs were affected by these layoffs; however, there may be additional cuts across other locations. when combined with earlier reductions—including about 400 online chat agents—it's clear this is part of a broader strategy shift within the company.
The Move Towards AI Support Systems
Many former employees have voiced concerns on social media about Rogers' potential pivot towards AI-driven customer service solutions. They noted how recently they were required to use AI tools for tracking calls while also observing Fido's implementation of an AI chatbot for handling inquiries.
A separate insider revealed that all levels of customer support for Chatr—a sub-brand under Rogers—have been shut down as well. There are indications that similar actions have occurred with Fido’s services too. Reports suggest discussions took place over a year ago regarding plans to close two chat and call centers entirely. Employees believe this strategy aims to push customers toward higher-revenue options by making basic service harder to access.
When asked if there was an intention to transition more towards AI-based support systems exclusively, rogers maintained they are not abandoning human-led assistance but stopped short of denying increased reliance on artificial intelligence tools altogether.Many users have reported frustrating experiences when seeking help through Fido’s channels due to lengthy processes involving initial interactions with bots before reaching actual representatives.
The Impact on Customer Experience
This shift towards automated systems has led some customers into challenging situations; one notable instance involved issues surrounding the discontinuation of 3G services where users struggled against unhelpful chatbots just trying to restore connectivity after being directed by automated messages.
poor Working Conditions Reported by Former Employees
The accounts shared by recently laid-off workers paint a grim picture regarding working conditions at Foundever's call centers. Some ex-employees reported having only ten seconds between calls while others faced scrutiny if they stepped away from their desks even briefly during shifts.
A number expressed frustration over being penalized for assisting customers in finding suitable plans rather than pushing them toward upselling opportunities or needless add-ons like data packages aimed at seniors who had little need for them.
One worker recounted feeling threatened during performance reviews after tough weeks while another was told they were “damaging” company interests when attempting genuine assistance instead of upselling tactics.
A Shift in Job creation Promises?
It’s essential also to consider promises made when Rogers acquired Shaw; as part of this merger agreement was a commitment to create 3,000 new jobs in Western Canada—a goal now seemingly unmet given current trends showing significant job losses instead.
While reports indicate some new positions may have been created (around 1,800), many others appear lost due largely due strategic decisions impacting employment numbers negatively overall throughout various sectors within telecommunications companies like Bell and Telus which similarly announced considerable layoffs recently themselves—further complicating matters across industry lines here too!
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