People walk near the entrance to the Walmart Supercenter on February 20, 2024 in Hallandale Beach, Florida.
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Walmart The company is laying off hundreds of corporate employees across the country and moving many to its Arkansas headquarters.
The giant retailer confirmed the layoffs and relocations in a memo sent to employees on Tuesday.
Chief People Officer Donna Morris said in the memo that most employees working remotely in offices in Dallas, Atlanta and Toronto have been asked to relocate. Most employees will move to the company’s headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, but some will also move to offices in the San Francisco Bay Area or Hoboken, New Jersey, she said.
“In addition, changes have been made to certain parts of our operations that will result in the elimination of hundreds of campus positions,” she said in the memo. “While this is a small percentage of the total, we are committed to supporting every employee affected by these changes.”
Walmart did not say how many people were affected by the cuts.
The news comes just days before Walmart releases its highly anticipated earnings report on Thursday.
The layoffs are the latest cost-cutting move by the discount store. In late April, Walmart announced it would close 51 clinics in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois and Texas. The new clinics, which offer doctor, dental and treatment appointments, are part of Walmart Health, the discounter’s broader effort to lower prices in the health care industry.The company has opened health clinics next to its big-box stores but said Announcement on its website The business was not financially sustainable.
Walmart is the largest private employer in the United States, with approximately 1.6 million employees, most of whom work in its stores across the country.
wall street journal The layoffs and relocations were first reported.
Read Morris’ full memo to Walmart employees:
It’s been more than four years since we faced a global pandemic that has reshaped our lives in many ways, including the way we work. In February 2022, we made the decision to bring Home Office employees back to campus offices. We believe that face-to-face communication makes us better and helps us collaborate, innovate and move faster. We also believe it helps strengthen our culture and grow and develop our people.
To bring more people together more often, we’re asking the majority of our employees who are working remotely, as well as most employees in our global technology offices in Dallas, Atlanta, and Toronto, 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, there are changes in some parts of our business that will result in the elimination of hundreds of campus positions. While the overall percentage is small, we are committed to supporting every employee affected by these changes.
We held discussions with employees directly affected by these decisions. We will work closely with them over the coming days and months to find the best path forward.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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