While Dell, Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) continues to make progress against the #1 PC seller in the world, Hewlett-Packard Corp. (NYSE: HPQ), it's also having to slice and dice its workforce to fit highly modified corporate needs. The current nomenclature for layoffs is "right-sizing" the workforce, and Dell's operations outside the U.S. are just as prone as operations inside the U.S.

Dell's customer contact center in Ottawa is apparently feeling some of the company's belt-tightening, as reports indicate that the world's second-largest PC maker is laying off some of its Canadian staff and canceling plans to hire more than 1,200 additional workers needed to support Dell's PC and server products. All this comes a little more than a year after the company was tooting its own horn over its Ottawa-area employee expansion.

Well, that's business. The tides of success change every month and yesterday's good news can turn into tomorrow's bad news very easily. Dell's Ottawa operations may leave a 150,000 square foot building empty while throwing uncertainty into its entire Canadian support operation. At least, that's what Dell's Canadian employees must be thinking.

A Dell spokesperson addressing the Ottawa changes said that "it all goes back to eliminating redundancies and aligning ourselves to give the best customer service." That's the day-to-day operating strategy, right? Elimination of redundancies is an never-ending process.