When Waymo closed its Austin offices recently, it affected about 100 contractors, some of whom described the move as sudden and surprising, according to conversations with nine Waymo workers.
Workers described the closure on Nov. 5 as sudden -- the contracting firms called some people and simply told them not to come to work that day with no further explanation. One person at the site said the firms held an emergency meeting during the day where workers were told to take their items and leave or they'd be escorted by security. Workers said they were offered an opportunity to move to other Waymo facilities in Phoenix or Detroit with relocation assistance.
In response, the Waymo spokesperson said that the closure was communicated well in advance and should not have been a surprise. Two Waymo workers heard from management that the Austin closure was a financial decision needed to keep Detroit and Phoenix growing. Waymo told CNBC that it is growing its overall investment in the company and expanding its teams in those locations. However, two Phoenix workers told CNBC that the Austin closure has increased their workload dramatically -- one said they'd lost half the people in their department, meaning that they'd have to do double the work.
"We encourage our contractors to come to Adecco for any employment-related questions or escalations. As their employer, our team is always available to address their needs and provide correct information," said an Adecco spokesperson. "This is something FTEs may have reinforced, and we believe the intentions would have been in the best interest of contractors.
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