For Bright House Networks, layoffs pad bottom line

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Daytona Beach, Florida, United States of America (Free-Press-Release.com) October 29, 2010 -- Bright House Networks has cultivated an image as one of corporate America's upper-tier workplaces. Competitive pay. Great benefits. A perennial on Fortune's list of Best Places to Work.
Human resources experts with the company have preached to clients about effectively managing workers and using layoffs as the last option in times of crisis.

However, interviews with a half-dozen current and former Bright House Networks employees support a different picture of a financial evolution within the company in recent years. The Cable and Internet services giant, known as BHN, has quietly and methodically slashed hundreds of well-paying jobs, while increasing their base of local subcontractors.
In the Tampa Bay area alone, Bright House Networks has swelled to become one of the region's biggest employers, the company dispatched installer jobs to many local part-time temporary employment firms. It confirmed a week ago that it's cutting 150 Advertising Sales and Production positions, nearly all in Tampa, combining all efforts with the Orlando Region.

BHN won't say how many jobs have been cut locally or nationally as part of its outsourcing strategy. Local Sales Manager, Bill Mac Enaney pointed out, however, that the company has had a very challenging last two years, these layoffs are temporary.
Throughout the hirings and firings, Bright House Networks, overall, has remained profitable, according to outside estimates.
As a private company, BHN closely guards much information about its financial health and movement of its workers. However, it acknowledges its industry was not hit as hard as others by the Great Recession.

Bight House Networks and the other top cable, Internet and phone firms "make a lot of money, and they've had an increase in revenue for many years," said Bill Mac Enaney. "These firms work differently than a publicly traded company. In the firms, the shareholders are the firm and there's not that many of them. From the partners' perspective, they want to keep that money … and they've done pretty well. It used to be a great place to work. They took care of their workers," he said. Now, "it's a company of bean counters, and all they care about is saving a few pennies."
Confirmation of the latest layoffs was unusual. Many cuts happen below the radar. BHN has not filed any WARN layoff notices with the state this year for any cuts, including the latest one.

Several BHN veterans said that is partly due to the process. A mass layoff is not typical; cuts come in small groups. Workers receive messages to "touch base" with a partner, a telltale sign they are about to lose their jobs. The total numbers are also murky, workers say, because a percentage of dismissed employees are offered either lateral jobs or lesser-paying jobs to stay with the firm.
Some displaced employees who were shifted to other, lesser-paying jobs may not be counted as laid off, even if they didn't last with the company in their new roles.
Bright House Networks is hardly a trendsetter in contracting out its installers and IT work. In fact, it's late to the game following the lead of fellow top firms such as Time Warner.

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