The Danish architecture and engineering consultancy Rambøll is preparing for significant layoffs at the end of November.
On Tuesday, the company announced it was laying off 400 employees, primarily from leader roles, out of its roughly 18,000 employees globally.
Other measures will also be taken to decrease the number of employees, such as voluntary resignations and reducing work hours.
400 fired, more to leave
Of the 400 set to be fired, and the additional employees expected to leave in the coming months, the majority are expected to come from leadership ranks, and many from the offices in Denmark that currently employ 4,000 people.
The company’s intention is to reduce the number of leadership posts by a third, down from 1,500 to roughly 1,000 globally. Børsen reports that the firings will take place throughout November this year.
New direction for the company
In the press release released on Tuesday, Christian Jensby, CEO of Rambøll, said that “As Rambøll has grown over the years, so has our complexity. In many areas, our organisation has become difficult to navigate, decisions take too long, and responsibilities are not clear enough.
“Therefore, we are now taking steps to reduce complexity, improve collaboration, and support faster decision-making by removing some of the unnecessary tasks and internal coordination across our company.”
Jensby took leadership of the company in April this year and has said that the company has not been sufficiently profitable. After his appointment, he fired both the company’s chief financial officer and chief operating officer, according to Finans.
Perhaps more to come
This may not be the last time the company undergoes a restructuring that leads to firings in its ranks.
Jensby also said that “We will also initiate a process where we look for complexity in the rest of the organisation, which includes our support functions.”
He added that “We expect to see a positive effect throughout 2027 and into 2028, where it will, among other things, positively affect our earnings and performance.”
