One NZ to lay off unspecified number of staff early next year

One NZ chief executive, Jason Paris, says the telco is “in good shape” despite planning to lay off some staff early next year.

Telco One NZ is consulting with staff as it prepares to make an unspecified number redundant early next year.

On Saturday, One NZ chief executive Jason Paris said the company was going through a consultation process with “a limited number of the team.”

That process would “regrettably” see some people leave the Infratil-owned business in early 2024, although the number of roles affected could not be confirmed until consultation concluded, he said.

“We understand this will be hard on people, which is why we are providing up to three-months’ notice to take those affected through the holiday period and support them to look for new roles next year.”

Paris said One NZ was in a competitive market and the economy was challenging, but the company was “in good shape” and delivering strong commercial, service and network performance results.

“The proposed changes are about ensuring we continue to invest even more in these important areas, as well as keep our prices competitive and build on our partnerships with the world’s best tech companies.”

The technology and telecommunications sector was fast moving, and the business had to change its structure to ensure it was in the best position for the future, he said.

“Most recently, the growth in importance of artificial intelligence has resulted in a new executive function and new roles being created, while we also need to make tough decisions to stop or reduce our investments in other areas at times.

“While it’s an undeniably difficult time for members of the team, every decision made is about ensuring the business remains competitive and is set up for success in the future.”

According to Infratil’s annual report, One NZ earned total income of $1.98 billion in the year to March 31, up slightly from $1.97 billion in 2022.

A $444 million gain on the company’s $1.7 billion tower sale boosted operating profit from $85.1 million to $489.4 million and after-tax profit from $26.9 million to $558.4 million.

In September, a new Commerce Commission dashboard displaying the results of surveys it has commissioned into telcos’ service performance ranked One NZ worst in terms of customer service.

At the time, One NZ spokesperson Matt Flood said the company recognised it didn’t always meet expectations but the survey results “didn’t tell the full story of the improvement we’re driving for customers”.

“We note the commission’s results cover a period of change to the end of June this year as we rebranded from Vodafone to One NZ,” he said.

“We’ve seen a 25% reduction in people needing to call us at all, and for those that do, we’re answering their calls faster and getting their issue solved by the first person they connect with rather than being passed around.”

With Thanks Reference to: https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/133426251/one-nz-to-lay-off-unspecified-number-of-staff-early-next-year