Harte Hanks cutting 146 jobs in Austin

Marketing services firm Harte Hanks is cutting 146 jobs at its Austin office, according to documents filed with the state.

Harte Hanks will eliminate the jobs at its Austin office at 2800 Wells Branch Parkway, according to a WARN letter sent to the Texas Workforce Commission.

A WARN letter, which stands for Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, is a federally mandated notice employers must provide to state governments in the event of major layoffs.

The expected date range of the layoffs is Dec. 22 through Jan. 4, according to the WARN letter.

The affected employees do not have bumping rights that would allow them to displace employees with less time at the company according to the letter, which was signed by Elizabeth Russell, Harte Hanks senior human resources business partner.

According to a letter sent to affected employees, the reduction is the result of a decision by Harte Hanks that it will no longer support its technical support services project line of business as of Jan. 4, 2020.

“Our work within TSS does not influence other projects,” Ben Chacko, Harte Hanks head of operational strategy and planning, said in the letter. “Lines of business which are not associated with TSS are not impacted because this is a project specific reduction in force.”

Founded in 1923 as Harte-Hanks Newspapers, the company initially focused on operating newspapers and later acquired radio and television properties.

Today Harte Hanks provides marketing services including consulting, strategic assessment, data analytics, digital, social and mobile services as well as print, direct main and support.