Embattled WeWork is scrambling to find thousands of laid off workers jobs with some of the city’s biggest real estate companies.
JLL said in a statement issued yesterday (Tuesday), “We can confirm that we will be providing facilities management services for WeWork in North America.
“JLL is working in close collaboration with WeWork and our partners to provide affected employees with guidance and support to navigate this process. Our top priorities are to ensure a smooth transition for employees affected by this change and to ensure the quality and consistency of the experience for WeWork members.”
The announcement came after WeWork chairman Marcelo Claure told workers in an email Monday that the company would be making “some necessary job eliminations.”
Claure told workers, “Through this process, we are going to eliminate and scale back certain functions and responsibilities, which will increase efficiency and also accountability. These actions will make us stronger and better able to generate even more opportunities over the coming months and years.”
WeWork said it has partnered with JLL to take over the management of its daily cleaning, pantry, and facilities operations in the U.S. and Canada.
Through the partnership, workers will be offered a job at JLL “or one of its trusted partners.”
The transition will become effective on Monday, December 9, 2019, but workers were told they would have to accept the offer by Monday, November 18, 2019.
Meanwhile, a coalition of WeWorker employees has been formed to speak on behalf of the company’s thousands of staff.
In a statement, the WeWorkers Coalition said it believes in the power of the office sharing product but “We don’t want to be defined by the scandals, the corruption, and the greed exhibited by the company’s leadership. We want to leave behind a legacy that represents the true character and intentions of WeWork employees.
The coalition is calling for “fair and reasonable separation terms … including severance pay, continuation of company-paid health insurance and compensation for lost equity.”
The statement added, “We are not the Adam Neumanns of this world — we are a diverse work force with rents to pay, households to support and children to raise.
“Neumann departed with a $1.7 billion severance package including a yearly $46 million consulting fee … We are asking to be treated with humanity and dignity so we can continue living life while searching to make a living elsewhere.”
