DXC Technology puts reluctant office movers on naughty step

'We'll send you to Kings Cross... or Coventry, you've got a week to decide'

DXC Technology staff who continue to ignore orders to haul their asses 4km (2.5 miles) across London to repopulate shiny offices in Kings Cross will soon be locked out of the building they're reluctant to exit.

Top brass at DXC – a spin-merge (with a reputation for "fun-ishment") between CSC and Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s outsourcing services division – told UK sales and leadership teams, as well as the global functions unit, to relocate from current digs in Walbrook near Bank station by 5 June.

But not many were keen and so the gentle request has changed in tone to something a little more draconian. Nick Wilson, UK CEO, sent a memo to staff late last week:

A number of you were notified that this will be your operating location going forward… As we have gone through the first week it has been great to see its adoption but this has only been at a low level. This needs to be improved, fast.

Wilson told staff to behave themselves and work from the premises in the sorts of "numbers of people we expect to be there”.

And here’s the rub for those the don’t play nicely: “In addition, from week commencing the 19th of June you will see your permanent badge disabled from Walbrook as the period of transition ends.”

The Walbrook office was inherited when CSC bought Xchanging - it had been Xchanging's HQ. CSC then moved into the Walbrook building in November, vacating the Kings Cross location that is opposite Google UK's head shed, so this latest upheaval closes a circle of pointlessness, so to speak.

We are moving! Following the merger with @XchangingGroup we're moving in with them at The Walbrook Building, 25 Walbrook, London EC4N 8AQ

— DXC@ImperialCollege (@DXCImperial) August 3, 2016

Wilson didn’t shed any light in his memo as to why he wants DXC to return to the Kings Cross offices. But it certainly had nothing to do with the handy location of his home in relation to a certain rail line.

DXC forecast cost savings of $1.6bn (PDF) over the next three years by rationalising real estate, consolidating data centres, and offshoring jobs to lower cost locations, among other austerity measures. ®