American multinational retail corporation Walmart will cut hundreds of corporate jobs, as per a report by the Wall Street Journal. Further, most work-from-home employees will be asked to move to offices.
Additionally, workers at Walmart's smaller offices located in Dallas, Tornato, and Atlanta have been asked to move to central hubs. The central hubs include the headquarters in Bentonville and Hoboken.
As per the report, workers will be allowed to do work from home as long as they are in the office the majority of the time. As of January 31, 2024, the company has around 2.1 million associates. The corporation has been consistently reducing its work force.
Interestingly, in April last year, the company said that it aims for 65 percent of the stores to be serviced via automation by 2026. In a statement, the company said, “By the end of fiscal year 2026, Walmart believes roughly 65% of stores will be serviced by automation, approximately 55% of the fulfillment center volume will move through automated facilities, and unit cost averages could improve by approximately 20%.”
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon informed investors in December 2022 that automated warehouses reduce the amount of time employees spend sorting products in the back rooms of stores. Emphasizing the automation, the company said, “"Over time, the company anticipates increased throughput per person due to the automation while maintaining or even increasing its number of associates as new roles are created.”
In February 2023, the company said that it would be closing three of its technology hubs. That time also, Walmart asked several workers to relocate in order to keep their jobs.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, remote work emerged as the new normal for most companies. However, with situations normalizing, most companies are asking their employees to come back to the office. Some of the companies that asked employees to return to work include Amazon, TCS, Infosys, Wipro, Meta, IBM, Dell, and more.
