Walmart To Lay off Hundreds of Corporate Staff Members

Walmart is set to lay off hundreds of its corporate staff members. The retail giant will also ask its remote workers to return to the office on a hybrid schedule.

Per a report by The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. retailer is asking employees at smaller offices in Dallas, Atlanta, and Toronto to relocate to Walmart’s corporate base in Bentonville, Arkansas, a northeast office in Hoboken, New Jersey, or a central hub in Southern California. The company will also ask corporate employees to work on a hybrid schedule — where employees can work part time remotely, so long as they are in the office for most of their work week. 

This announcement comes ahead of Walmart’s first-quarter earnings conference on May 16, according to the company’s corporate website. Doug McMillon, president and chief executive officer, and John David Rainey, executive vice president and chief financial officer, will host the call to discuss the results and answer questions. The company will release its Q1 earnings results and related materials at 6 a.m. CDT that same day.

In April 2024, the Arkansas-based retailer decided to shutter all 51 Walmart Health centers and the Walmart Health Virtual Care offerings. The company opened the centers in 2019. Walmart claims these closures were due to financial challenges, including an unprofitable business model amidst reimbursement difficulties and higher operational costs.

Walmart said workers affected by the health center closures will be eligible to transfer to any other Walmart or Sam’s Club store. Walmart said it would pay them for 90 days unless they transferred to another store within that time or left the company. After 90 days, eligible employees without transfer or leave will be given a severance package.

In February, reports emerged that Walmart was also closing down U.S. technology hubs in Austin, Texas, Portland, Oregon, and Carlsbad, California. These workers would be moved to other locations.

The Week reported that in 2023, Walmart said that it expects nearly 65% of its outlets to be serviced by automation by the end of the financial year 2026. The company is the world’s largest private employer.