TeleTech Holdings Inc.

A Hampton call center run by TeleTech Holdings will close its doors and lay off 532 workers. The company informed the Virginia Employment Commission that it will end operations soon, which will flood the job market with call center workers. When it reached its peak in 2002, TeleTech, which is located in a business park on Butler Farm Road near Magruder Boulevard, employed more than 1,100 workers as Nextel, the center's primary client, was thriving. But Nextel has struggled with a variety of problems since combining with Sprint. Denver-based TeleTech has not been filing its regular financial reports as it reviews accounting problems related to the backdating of stock options, a practice that was an advantage for company executives. The 532 full-time workers include managerial and front-line call-taker jobs. Some employees will be offered jobs with TeleTech at other locations or with Sprint Nextel.