Layoffs based on 'how closely roles map to our future vision,' says CEO
Food delivery service company SkipTheDishes and its parent company are letting go of about 800 workers, the company’s chief executive officer announced.
The move affects roughly 100 Canadian market employees along with 700 operations employees servicing the global Just Eat Takeaway.com organization based out of Canada.
The move is part of the employer’s restructuring efforts, said Paul Burns, SkipTheDishes CEO.
“Decisions that impact people’s jobs are never simple or easy, however the measures we took are necessary to ensure we have the right resources and organizational structure in place to drive sustainable growth,” he said via LinkedIn. “A more focused approach will also ensure we continue to provide an enhanced offering to customers and exceptional service to all our stakeholders.”
Burns emphasized that the decisions were not made based on the quality of the affected workers’ work or the contributions they have made to the business, brand, and culture, “but on how closely roles map to our future vision”.
Did higher food prices contribute to layoffs?
Sylvain Charlebois, senior director at Dalhousie University’s Agri-Food Analytics Lab, said inflation likely has a part to play in the layoffs at SkipTheDishes and Just Eat Takeaway.com.
“I know a lot of people think that food prices are much higher, but they’re much higher on menus … driving people away from using apps like Skip or Uber, or things like that,” he said in a CTV News report.
“It’s unfortunate for some people to lose their jobs, but I think it’s something that was highly predictable, unfortunately.”
While layoffs similar to what happened at SkipTheDishes are to be expected, things will turn around eventually, he said.
“At some point, the economy will be back, people will start spending more on food service, and I suspect that Skip will be back — or other companies will be back — to provide the same kind of service.”
Mastercard, Intel, Tesla, Cisco, Indeed, Citigroup, among others, have also announced layoffs this year.
Support for laid-off SkipTheDishes workers
Meanwhile, workers affected by the SkipTheDishes layoffs got some support from professionals on LinkedIn.
Alyssa Batt, district sales manager at The Mobile Shop in Winnipeg, said that opportunities at her company are available to those who are affected by the development.
Meanwhile, Gülru Yetkin, who was previously an owned channels manager at SkipTheDishes, asked other employers to give a chance to these workers.
“Having recently left Skip myself, I can attest to the caliber of professionals Skip attracts. Despite the circumstances, I believe it's important to highlight that experience at Skip speaks volumes about an individual's ability to excel in challenging environments.
“So, if you come across candidates with a background at Skip, I encourage you to give them a chance. Their expertise and resilience will undoubtedly be assets to your organization.”
Nearly six in 10 (57%) jobseekers say it will be difficult to find a job in the next six months, according to a previous Express Employment Professionals report.
