Walmart is eliminating of some of its back office jobs in 500 of its stores, citing the desire to have most of its employees involved in actual customer service, engaging with patrons.
The cuts, which will mostly affect stores and workers on the West Coast, are expected to be consolidated in positions that will be offered off-premises. Each Walmart location tends to have about three employees in these back office roles, suggesting that about 1,500 individuals could be affected.
Walmart expects to offer those affected positions in customer service within the store, although they may not pay quite as much. It was said that those who used to work in accounting or invoicing will be offered at least $17.55 an hour; further details were not disclosed.
This decision was experimented with on a trial basis at 50 stores. Walmart reports that only one percent of workers who lost their formal title actually left the company.
Walmart has undergone a number of changes over the past two years in terms of how they treat employees. They have raised wages for entry-level staff, improved handling of materials and inventory, and increased wages for most employees to at least $10 an hour.
Earlier this year, America’s largest private employer closed 150 underperforming stores, in an effort to become leaner.
