The following appears on nbc12.com
RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) -Twenty-five Xerox employees who perform data entry and customer service for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield are being laid off.
The workers were just notified days ago, and it’s been a difficult time for many of them, especially for those who have worked there for a very long time.
Ms. Johnson has been working at the Anthem building for 11 years, and with just one more week left with Xerox, she didn’t want to give her full name, but wanted to share her story.
“It was heart breaking, I was distraught…it’s the worst [time]. We’ve got Thanksgiving coming up, Christmas coming up, it’s the worst,” she said.
Flying home for the holidays won’t be happening for Johnson anymore, but she says it’s worse for some of her other colleagues.
“We have some who have been there 20 years, 30 years, 35 years. We have one lady who was supposed to retire in a year and a half,” she said.
An Anthem spokesperson says these cuts were not their decision. Xerox is actually a sub-contractor and a company rep says Xerox is just responding to the needs of their client, which in this case is Anthem.
A rep for Xerox did say these 25 employees will be getting severance packages.