Well, I guess you can say the ‘Big 3’ telecoms in Canada really do copy each other besides matching wireless plans. We previously learned about Telus and Bell offering severance packages to cut staffing numbers, and now Rogers has laid off staff of its own.
Rogers has let go of customer service employees across multiple provinces due to a drop in demand for online chat services and ongoing financial pressures. The company did not disclose the exact number of job cuts but described them as a “small percentage” of its customer service team, reports the Globe and Mail.
“While a small percentage of roles in our customer service team are impacted, we continue to grow and hire people to support our operations across the country,” said Rogers spokesperson Zac Carreiro in a statement to the Globe.
Rogers says fewer customers are using online chat support, with interactions dropping by 20% over the past year. He said the company has been investing in digital tools and self-service options to make customer support more efficient. Despite the layoffs, Rogers stated it is still hiring in other areas and will continue to work with third-party providers for customer support.
Anyone reading the Rogers subreddit over the past 24 hours saw numerous threads pop up about the shuttering of customer service chat and more.
“They just fired me and a bunch of other agents at the same time for ‘budget cut reasons and restructuring’,” was what one Redditor said.
“Absolute garbage company. Working for them for over two years and having top scores in their “scorecard” metric every month for over two years while being in the top three agents in our group for well over two years,” explained the affected employee, who said they were fired with severance.
The majority of affected employees were in Ontario, but reports suggest layoffs also impacted staff in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec—including former Shaw employees. Some workers were notified of job cuts this week, while others are still waiting for meetings with HR.
Employment law firm Samfiru Tumarkin LLP said it has been contacted by dozens of affected Rogers employees seeking legal advice on severance packages. A former employee also claimed that some members of Rogers’ social media support team were among those let go.
Besides cutting staff, Rogers is also $50 billion in debt following its merger with Shaw. As part of the merger agreement, the company promised to create 3,000 new jobs in Western Canada within five years. So far, it claims to have added 1,800, but reports indicate that over 3,000 net jobs have been cut since the merger closed in 2023.
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Anyone as a consumer/customer interested in a class action lawsuit against Fido/Rogers over predatory billing practices? I have been with them 10yrs & have to call EVERY MONTH over billing issues & I already can't get a human!