Exactly. The bottom line is that to employ x thousand call-centre staff, you need y thousand sq ft of office space. Whether that space is in one location, four or eight, the marginal cost benefits of centralising are going to be minimal, unless you house them in tents in the Sahara.
So to save a few million a year, Virgin shit on their loyal staff in Swansea and devastate the local economy. Don't you just love red-in-tooth-and-claw capitalism?
This is one of the reasons I'm not a fan of governments spending billions in perks to tempt big companies in to 'create jobs'. The companies have no roots or loyalty to the area. As soon as they can save a few quid by moving down the road they do. Much better to spend money helping local businesses to grow. Far greater chance of long-term stability.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
