Companies Modify Structure to Face Year of Turmoil

04/13/2015 - 10h01

With the worsening economic crisis, companies from different sectors have adopted measures ranging from downsizing staff to the removal of positions, and from cutting departments to the expansion of outsourcing.

Folha contacted 18 large companies operating in seven branches of industry, commerce and service sectors that have taken steps in this direction.

Part of them hope that as the economy recovers it is possible to resume production and reverse the manpower reduction framework.

This is the case for tire manufacturer Pirelli, which has negotiated laying off 1,500 of its 12,000 employees for the first time in its 80 years in Brazil.

"No one in the company remembers ever facing a situation like this one," said Paolo Dal Pino, president of Pirelli in South America.

Companies like Whirlpool (owner of the brands Brastemp and Consul) have granted collective holidays for two plants (Santa Catarina and São Paulo) to lower inventories.

Other companies seek longer lasting solutions to tackle the crisis and, at the same time, to adapt to changed in their markets.

Delphi, which makes auto parts, recently closed its plant in Itabirito (MG) and laid off around 800 employees. Electrolux cut jobs in Manaus (AM), according to employee representatives.

The Transamérica Hotel in São Paulo outsourced 165 room service and restaurant employees after entering into an agreement in court with the union.

A growing number of companies are seeking to restructure internal departments and cut management levels, said Marcelo Ferrari, director of HR consulting agency Mercer.

Rafael Beran Bruno, director of the Pieron Institute, which prepares executives to reach senior positions, said that companies that want to review their structure have increasingly sought after the agency.

Translated by JILL LANGLOIS

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	Eduardo Anizelli/Folhapress
	They have adopted measures ranging from downsizing staff to the removal of positions