MONROE - A local business with more than 100 employees at its Monroe location will close its physical location at the end of February as it moves to a work-from-home model.
The call center iPacesetters has been located along the 100 block of West 8th Street since 1999. The building will close Feb. 29, but most of the workers will continue providing sales calls for the company. Instead of going into the office, they will be hooked up to computers with headsets from their own homes. Employees make and receive sales-oriented phone calls.
Michael Bennett, vice president of corporate compliance for iPacesetters, said the shift to a work-from-home model for its employees will take advantage of a larger area of workers.
"It's a model we're moving to more and more," Bennett said. "It allows us to draw from a larger geographical area."
Bennett said specifically being able to hire throughout Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois is beneficial for the company.
Eliminating rent is also a benefit. "It's a tremendous cost savings," Bennett said. "The rent alone is probably hundreds of thousands of dollars a year."
Despite the building closing, 84 employees will retain their jobs. Currently, iPacesetters employs 115 people. Of those staying with the company, there will be 67 sales agents, four supervisors and 13 administrative employees. Bennett said there should still be a physical location somewhere in Monroe, but the details have not yet been finalized.
He added that the company is "always looking for good folks who are motivated and intelligent" to join the force. Any new employees following the change may need to provide their own computer. Workers currently with the company will use equipment already provided to them. Otherwise, a quiet environment and an internet connection are the only things required of employees at home.
Employees at the location, while reluctant to speak publicly, shared a generally positive consensus about the change on Wednesday. A handful said they like the idea of not having to commute to work and having more time with family. Others said they prefer the structure of an office workspace, but will try working from home anyway.
A release from iPacesetters outlined that any worker who chooses not to transition to the work-from-home model or who cannot do so will be given help to find other jobs within the city. The company is working with the Wisconsin Job Center to provide resources to employees leaving because of the change.
The call center iPacesetters has been located along the 100 block of West 8th Street since 1999. The building will close Feb. 29, but most of the workers will continue providing sales calls for the company. Instead of going into the office, they will be hooked up to computers with headsets from their own homes. Employees make and receive sales-oriented phone calls.
Michael Bennett, vice president of corporate compliance for iPacesetters, said the shift to a work-from-home model for its employees will take advantage of a larger area of workers.
"It's a model we're moving to more and more," Bennett said. "It allows us to draw from a larger geographical area."
Bennett said specifically being able to hire throughout Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois is beneficial for the company.
Eliminating rent is also a benefit. "It's a tremendous cost savings," Bennett said. "The rent alone is probably hundreds of thousands of dollars a year."
Despite the building closing, 84 employees will retain their jobs. Currently, iPacesetters employs 115 people. Of those staying with the company, there will be 67 sales agents, four supervisors and 13 administrative employees. Bennett said there should still be a physical location somewhere in Monroe, but the details have not yet been finalized.
He added that the company is "always looking for good folks who are motivated and intelligent" to join the force. Any new employees following the change may need to provide their own computer. Workers currently with the company will use equipment already provided to them. Otherwise, a quiet environment and an internet connection are the only things required of employees at home.
Employees at the location, while reluctant to speak publicly, shared a generally positive consensus about the change on Wednesday. A handful said they like the idea of not having to commute to work and having more time with family. Others said they prefer the structure of an office workspace, but will try working from home anyway.
A release from iPacesetters outlined that any worker who chooses not to transition to the work-from-home model or who cannot do so will be given help to find other jobs within the city. The company is working with the Wisconsin Job Center to provide resources to employees leaving because of the change.