Peterborough-based SoClean laid off 23 employees in recent weeks but is still hiring for other positions, CEO Bob Wilkins said, as call center work has shrunk while other sectors, such as research and development, continue to grow.
SoClean has over 200 employees, just like they did last year at this time, he said, after first quarter growth was stymied by effects from COVID-19, causing the company to reorganize their focus. “We were hoping we could avoid [the effects of] COVID and we couldn’t,” he said.
The closure of certain sleep centers and medical supply companies due to the pandemic contributed to a drop in sleep apnea (CPAP) cleaning machine sales, he said, which meant drops in related setup calls that forced the company to lay off call center employees based in Peterborough and Montana. The company is reorganizing to focus on the new products they launched this summer, including an air purifier and surface disinfector. Unfortunately, those products don’t require as many phone calls, he said. SoClean tried to provide severances for employees, Wilkins said, and he knows that recruitment for other call centers is up. “We hope they get picked up really quick,” he said. SoClean is still recruiting in the research and development sector and other areas, he said.