ServiceMaster lays off 65 employees

Memphis-based ServiceMaster Co. has laid off 65 employees and eliminated another 40 vacant positions in a restructuring of its headquarters that began Wednesday, Feb. 5, and was confirmed Thursday.

The total number of positions – 105 – amounts to 8 percent of the headquarters staff and is a result of the spin-off of ServiceMaster’s TruGreen division as a separate company, said ServiceMaster spokeswoman Alison Bishop.

“With the TruGreen separation behind us, we’ve taken a fresh look at the overhead structures and associated costs to support ServiceMaster’s growth plans and ensure that we are operating effectively and productively,” Bishop said. “We recognize the need for a simpler, leaner operating model that’s in line with the scale of the new ServiceMaster.”

TruGreen became a company independent of ServiceMaster with the closing of the spin-off deal Jan. 14. ServiceMaster leaders had struggled to bring the commercial and residential lawn care service back to profitability.

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