walmart is relocating many employees to its headquarters in Arkansas and laying off hundreds of employees across the country.
The retail giant confirmed the layoffs and reassignment in a memo sent to employees Tuesday.
Chief Human Resources Officer Donna Morris said in a memo that the move is aimed at bringing more employees back to the office following the coronavirus pandemic. The company moved employees back to its Bentonville, Arkansas, headquarters in February 2022.
Now, Walmart is taking it a step further, she said. The majority of employees working remotely from offices in Dallas, Atlanta and Toronto have been asked to relocate. Most will move to the company’s headquarters in Arkansas, but some will move to offices in the San Francisco Bay Area and Hoboken, New Jersey.
“Additionally, there will be changes in some of our operations that will result in the elimination of hundreds of roles on campus,” she said in the memo. “Although it is a small percentage of the overall numbers, we are focused on supporting each employee affected by these changes.”
Walmart did not say how many people were affected by the cuts.
The news comes days before Walmart releases its long-awaited earnings report on Thursday.
The layoffs are the latest cost-cutting move for the discounter. Walmart announced in late April that it would close 51 dispensaries in Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois and Texas. The new clinic, which offers doctor, dentist and therapy appointments, was part of Walmart Health, the discounter’s broader effort to bring lower prices to the health care industry. The company had opened a clinic next to its big-box store, but said in an announcement on its website that the business was not financially sustainable.
Walmart is America’s largest private employer with approximately 1.6 million employees, most of whom work at its stores across the country.
There’s another reason Walmart is bringing more employees to Bentonville. The company is building a 350-acre campus in Bentonville. This large-scale development is well underway and includes 12 office buildings, a parking garage, a hotel and other amenities. The first few buildings on campus are already open, including a fitness center and daycare.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the layoffs and reassignment.
Read Morris’ full memo to Walmart employees.
It’s been more than four years since we faced a global pandemic that has reshaped many aspects of our lives, including the way we work. In February 2022, we decided to bring Home Office staff back to campus offices. We believe that by being together in person, we can improve, collaborate, innovate and go even faster. We also believe it strengthens our culture and helps our employees grow and develop.
With the goal of bringing more employees together more often, we are relocating the majority of our employees working remotely and within our Dallas, Atlanta, and Toronto Global Tech offices. We ask that you do so. Most relocations will be to our Bentonville headquarters, but some will be to our San Francisco Bay Area or Hoboken/New York offices.
In addition, we are making changes to some of our operations that will result in the elimination of hundreds of roles on campus. Although the overall numbers are small, we are focused on supporting each employee affected by these changes.
We have been in discussions with employees directly affected by these decisions. We will work closely with them over the coming days and months to ensure we are on the best path forward.
This is a developing story. Please check back for the latest information.
