MassMutual's Layoff to Affect IT Department

As part of a restructuring, MassMutual will lay off 75 employees at its Springfield, Mass., headquarters, chiefly within its information technology department, a company official said.

Spokesman Mark Cybulski, director of corporate relations, is quoted in The Republican as stating that the layoffs were the result of a review of operations for its Enterprise Technology Organization, which is in charge of information technology systems.

"Like most organizations, MassMutual conducts regular reviews of its operations to ensure it has the right resources in place to efficiently and effectively meet the company's strategic objectives," he said.

Cybulski pointed to the insurer’s larger goal, to direct resources appropriately to meet the company's goals, he said. An operations review that evaluated upcoming projects resulted in the determination that current information technology staffing levels would no longer be necessary, he said.

"While decisions like this are never easy, we made this decision to compete as effectively as possible today and in the future," he said.

Meanwhile, the company is hiring, and has more than 100 positions open, primarily in “key business areas,” says Cybulski, including its U.S. Insurance Group and Retirement Services Division. The IT personnel who are relieved of their responsibilities will be able to apply for those open positions.

In other news, MassMutual is expanding its sales team with the appointment of Jeffery Keller as managing director for the southeast region. Keller previously was managing director and head of defined contribution investment at New York Life, N.Y. The company also confirmed that it plans to add three new sales support roles in the New York, New England and Michigan territories, with plans to expand the sales team, later this year.