By Lucky Kidd
McPHERSON, Kan. — Pfizer’s McPherson Pharmaceutical facility laid off 80 salaried personnel, mostly from management and engineering. Those layoffs have taken place over the past two days, and did not affect production personnel at McPherson County’s largest employer.
Pfizer said in a statement Tuesday afternoon they regularly evaluate their manufacturing network to ensure capacity is effectively utilized based on projected product demands and based on a margin assessment program announced in May they aligned headcount with site capacity designs to meet the need of the business. The Pfizer statement concluded saying all separations will be managed in alignment with corporate values, policies and local legal requirements and considerations.
Much of the immediate response to the layoffs is already in process, according to Tucky Allen with Kansas WorkForce One. Pfizer has already provided affected employees what is known as a Rapid Response Pack, which includes unemployment and other resources that “in a nutshell is all meant to help them get back to work,” Allen told Ad Astra News Thursday afternoon.
This also can include assistance with putting together a resume, which in some cases these people may not have done in years, along with assistance if they want to look at doing something different. “If they’re done with manufacturing or if they want to upgrade their current skills, we have funds available for them to go back to school, upgrade their skills, or go a different direction,” Allen added.
In terms of local impact, Allen noted Pfizer does pull employees from a sizable area beyond McPherson County, and with that the layoffs may not have as significant of an impact locally as some might imagine.
GO McPherson Executive Director Kasi Morales said they will work with employees who have a desire to stay in McPherson.
