eBay announced today that it is closing its Burnaby customer support centre and cutting approximately 700 jobs as it consolidates customer service operations in Salt Lake City. The office will be closed by September 30th as the company tries to “capture efficiencies” and expand its customer support efforts. According to an eBay spokesperson, the departing employees will receive a “comprehensive severance package,” and outplacement services to help them find new work.
When eBay opened the 70,000 square-foot centre in 2003, eBay’s CEO Meg Whitman said Burnaby was chosen from 100 possible sites because of the region’s skilled and educated workforce and its quality of life.
It will be a shame to see eBay exit British Columbia's tech community after such a short stint. The strong online community values that made the auction marketplace an industry leader could be seen in the culture of its Burnaby facility in everything from their dedicated work to reduce the number of employees commuting in single occupant vehicles to their employee driven charity work.
Rob Lewis
Rob is the President of Techvibes Media Inc. and Editor-in-Chief of Techvibes.com.
His diverse background includes stints in International Trade Finance, Web Development, and Enterprise Software and he is a graduate of the University of British Columbia, British Columbia Institute of Technology, and Simon Fraser University.
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