Williams plans job cuts to ‘balance work force’

Tulsa, Okla.-based Williams Communications confirmed that it will announce across-the-board job cuts as early as next week as part of a routine and overall assessment of the company’s structure and business practices.

A company spokeswoman stressed that the cuts are not reflective of any downturn in the company’s business. She said Williams conducts such assessments on a fairly regular basis to ensure the company’s costs are in line with its growth and that its employees are deployed properly.

“We’re trying to balance our work force, prioritize our capital expenditures and make sure our business activities are aligned with our business goals,” she said. “We do this all the time. It’s an exercise in making sure we are running our business in the right way and that we have our resources in the right places.”

The spokeswoman added that the cuts would be “less than 500, but I can’t tell you whether that means 20 jobs or 200. We just don’t know right now.” She said that the company continues to hire for open positions.

“This is a redeployment issue,” she explained. “No one is saying that 20% of the work force needs to be slashed. It’s not that kind of situation. We’re just looking at what we’re doing and asking ourselves whether we’re doing everything in the most efficient way or are there changes that need to be made across the organization that will make us better than what we are.”

According to the spokeswoman, it is not unusual for the company to complete one or more major projects at the same time it is beginning--or about to begin--another completely different initiative. Consequently, the company might need a certain type of worker for one project that it doesn’t need for the next project.

“We don’t want to become too comfortable,” she said. “We always want to ask ourselves, ‘Is this the best way to do things?’”