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A top Walmart executive told employees Tuesday that the retailer would slash hundreds of corporate positions and ask a majority of its remote workers relocate to one of three of its central hubs, according to a memo sent to staff. The company also said it will give some employees permission to work remotely, but only on a part-time basis.
Walmart’s workforce reduction comes just ahead of its first quarter earnings report, which is scheduled for Thursday before markets open. The company has already been looking to cut down on costs. Last month, it said it would close all 51 of its health centers because they fell short of meeting profitability.
Walmart is considered the largest U.S. retailer. It is also the country’s biggest private employer, with an estimated 2.1 million employees.
Read the full memo that Donna Morris, Walmart’s chief people officer, sent Walmart employees below:
It has been a little over four years since we faced the global pandemic that reshaped our lives in many ways, including our ways of working. In February 2022, we made the decision to bring Home Office associates back into our campus offices. We believe that being together, in person, makes us better and helps us to collaborate, innovate and move even faster. We also believe it helps strengthen our culture as well as grow and develop our associates.
With the goal of bringing more of us together more often, we are asking the majority of associates working remotely, and the majority of associates within our offices in Dallas, Atlanta, and our Toronto Global Tech office, to relocate. Most relocations will be to our Home Office in Bentonville, but some will be to our offices in the San Francisco Bay Area or Hoboken/New York.
In addition, some parts of our business have made changes that will result in a reduction of several hundred campus roles. While the overall numbers are small in percentage, we are focused on supporting each of our associates affected by these changes.
We have had discussions with associates who were directly impacted by these decisions. We will work closely with them in the coming days and months to navigate the best path forward.
Donna Morris, Chief People Officer