Xerox’s Webster campus. Credit: Democrat & Chronicle
The OEM has made the decision to shift its employees from downtown Rochester to Webster.
As the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle reports, Xerox revealed at the end of last week that it will be moving its employees from Xerox Square to the OEM’s Phillips Road campus in Webster by the end of 2018.
The relocation “will be staggered throughout the year as new workspaces are readied”, and Xerox’s spokesperson, Bill McKee, explained that “there would be no layoffs related to the move.”
The OEM negotiated an early termination of its lease of Xerox Square, which it had originally sold to Buckingham Properties in 2013, before leasing back “several floors of office space”. The lease was originally supposed to conclude in 2021.
“The move will reinforce our commitment to the region by aligning our employee resources on one campus,” McKee said. “By relocating our employees to Xerox-owned facilities in Webster we will move them into our owned facilities, versus leased space. This transition will allow us to have all of our Monroe County employees on one campus.”
Robert Duffy, President of the Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce, described the relocation as making “good business sense”.
“Shifting those employees to Webster will certainly impact downtown,” he said, “but we’ll work hard within the downtown business community to fill that space. The most important thing is that these men and women are going to be in Webster and not leaving the area.”
Jessica Alaimo, spokesperson for the City of Rochester, said that, despite the move, Xerox “continues to be an important part of Rochester’s economy”.
“The City of Rochester will continue working with RTS (Regional Transit Service) and other partners to ensure that relocated employees will be able to fully access their jobs,” she revealed in a statement. “Xerox Square will remain a significant part of our Centre City and it is important that it continues to be viable.”
