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Harris Interactive Consolidates Workforce and Facilities
Harris Interactive has recently reduced staff levels as part of its ongoing integration process with Total Research. The action affects roughly 5% of the full-time workforce in four principal locations on the east coast of the USA. The affected employees are mainly support staff with overlapping functions in the combined company.In other integration actions, Harris Interactive has closed telephone centres in Tampa, Florida and Youngstown, Ohio, whilst keeping up its phone centres in Rochester and in the UK.
'It's always difficult to implement reductions in force,' said Albert Angrisani, president and COO of Harris Interactive. 'However, in most significant merger transactions, there will inevitably be some duplication that needs to be corrected. We are obligated to our stockholders to streamline our operations and to cut costs. We've done the analysis and now have made those hard decisions. The continuing integration of these two organizations is going well and Harris Interactive will emerge as a stronger, more competitive company.'
Harris is currently focused on demonstrating the effectiveness of its online polling and research capabilities to Total Research's Fortune 100 client base. During the past two years, Harris Interactive has been able to transition much of its traditional research business to the highly accurate and more profitable online methodology. In fiscal year 2001, Harris Interactive's total Internet-based revenues increased 55% over the previous year.
'This consolidation will move us farther along towards profitability as we leverage the industry's largest investment in Internet-based technology and database development with one of the country's premiere custom research businesses,' stated Dr. Gordon S. Black, chairman and CEO of Harris Interactive.
The combined company is expected to generate approximately US$130 million in global revenue this fiscal year and currently employs nearly 1,000 employees worldwide.
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