Friday, September 2, 2016

Wal-Mart to Cut 7,000 Back-Office Store Jobs

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. plans to cut thousands of back-office positions around the country, reports The Wall Street Journal.

The company will be eliminating about 7,000 store accounting and invoicing positions over the next several months. The jobs are mostly held by long-term employees, often some of the highest paid hourly workers in stores.

Sounds like it is partly efficiency factors coming into play and also robot factors.

According to the Journal, the positions Wal-Mart is eliminating manage an individual store’s daily cash flow or process claims from manufacturers delivering goods directly to stores, among other tasks. Starting early next year, much of that work will be handled by a central office or new money-counting “cash recycler” machines in stores. Wal-Mart tested the change in about 500 stores earlier this year.

The company believes most displaced employees will find customer-facing roles, said Deisha Barnett, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman. “We’ve seen many make smooth transitions during the pilot,” she said. Employees facing cuts could see their salaries go up or down in a new position, she said.

“Right now I’m getting my resume together,” said one Wal-Mart employee who works in invoicing earning about $15 an hour. After almost 21 years with the company the employee said she isn’t interested in moving back out to the store floor.

-RW

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