Baltimore, Maryland-based Medifast, a nutrition and weight loss company that produces, distributes, and sells weight loss and health-related products through websites, multi-level marketing, telemarketing, and franchised weight loss clinics, has announced a reduction in force.
Approximately 83 employees are impacted by the reduction in shifts at the company's 119,000-square-foot distribution center in Ridgely, Maryland.
Additional jobs at the company's internal Global Call Center Operations team and at its manufacturing facility in Owings Mills, Maryland will also be eliminated.
CEO Dan Chard noted, "While we are focused on driving the long-term success of our business, there’s no doubt that this continues to be a difficult market for many consumer-facing businesses right now. With inflationary pressures continuing to mount, and the related impact on consumer confidence, we’ve seen an effect on product demand."
"The tremendous growth we saw through 2020 and 2021 meant we needed to increase call center support staff and we did so on an accelerated timeframe. With the current and forecasted volume outlook, it’s clear that we need to shift the call center footprint and resources to reflect our business forecast. At the same time, lower volume means that we have reduced operational requirements in our supply chain organization. We have spent time evaluating our supply chain footprint and the best way to balance capacity versus volume. We have come to the decision to eliminate some roles and not backfill others at Owings Mills, as well as reduce the number of shifts at [the Medifast Distribution Center], effective as of July and August."
Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. We see good people being laid off through no fault of their own. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?
