Some 250 members of Xerox Corp.'s local workforce have been given the option of either a voluntary layoff from the company or a potential transfer to HCL Technologies Ltd.
Xerox has been in talks with the Indian information technology and software giant about outsourcing some of its engineering work to HCL. While Xerox said Friday it hasn't made any final decisions about a partnership with HCL, the company also acknowledged telling about 250 of its Rochester-area employees that they are eligible to take part in a voluntary leave program related to the possible link with HCL.
The notified employees who don't take the severance package would see their employment shift to HCL if Xerox, in fact, signs an agreement with the Indian company, Xerox spokesman Carl Langsenkamp said.
Xerox said last month it has been talking with HCL about the possibility of hundreds of workers at five of its locations — Webster; Wilsonville, Ore.; El Segundo, Calif.; and in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands — being transferred to HCL. Those workers are in such areas as product and software engineering and engineering infrastructure.
Xerox has faced some criticism since the HCL talks became public in May, particularly since CEO Ursula Burns is a leader of President Barack Obama's Export Council, part of a White House effort to double U.S. exports and create 2 million jobs over five years.
According to Xerox, the 250 workers have at least 45 days to decide whether to take part in the severance program, which offers one week of pay for each year employed at Xerox. The minimum severance is four weeks and the maximum is 52.
Xerox is one of the Rochester area's largest employers, with about 6,800 local workers.
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