Layoffs Confirmed At Westlake-Based Hyland

WESTLAKE, OH — Westlake city officials confirmed that Hyland Software laid off employees Wednesday.

Multiple current and former employees told Patch that about 140 or so workers lost their jobs Wednesday. Employees were called into a Zoom meeting in which they were informed the company had to make "tough decisions," said one former employee, who spoke to Patch on condition of anonymity.

"We were not told why we were being laid off, but many of us found out later we were laid off to accommodate for employees Hyland acquired through an acquisition of a new company," one employee told Patch.

A company spokesperson sent Patch a statement via email, saying Hyland has plans to grow globally in 2021, but made the difficult decision to cut employees locally first.

"As we focus on innovating our platform and strategically expanding our global footprint, we have made the difficult decision to eliminate some positions on our current Product Delivery team. We are providing affected employees with assistance in their transitions," the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson did not answer questions about how many employees lost their jobs this week.

Mayor Dennis Clough wished affected employees good luck in a statement. “The City of Westlake has been told by Hyland Software that the company is in the middle of a restructure but is doing well overall. The city extends best wishes to the employees who were informed that their jobs would be eliminated," Clough said in an email to Patch.

The company is one of Westlake's two largest employers (along with St. John Medical Center) and employs more than 1,500 people locally, according to a 2018 cleveland.com article.

Prior to the layoffs, Hyland had more than 4,000 employees worldwide.

The meetings lasted about 15 minutes, the affected employees said. The laid-off employees worked in the research and development departments.

Current and former employees said Hyland leaders spent the past month touting the most successful financial year in company history and set grander profit goals for 2021. Employees said they felt blindsided by Wednesday's announcement.

"Hyland touts that they treat their employees like family, it’s part of their core values. This was not very family like," one laid off employee said.

The day before the layoffs were announced internally, Hyland said it had signed a multiyear sponsorship agreement with professional golfer Xander Schauffele. The PGA participant will serve as a "brand ambassador" for the firm. The partnership will also include Schauffele's father, Stefan Schauffele.