Walmart announced in May that a whole bunch of distant workers could be required to work in person at its headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, and at other centers in Hoboken, New Jersey, and Northern California. The latest Bloomberg Report shows that employees defied the return-to-office order (RTO) during a company Zoom call, with some selecting to walk away from work.
During the call, one participant called the RTO policy “a load of crap,” while others expressed concerns about living in Arkansas, child care, the increase in work assignments and what their partners’ jobs could be like if the move were to affect them.
One Walmart worker told Bloomberg that quite than immediately relocate, he decided to go away the company.
Walmart Chief Human Resources Officer Donna Morris told the publication that the majority employees are opting to return to the office. Employees needed to notify Walmart by July 1 if they planned to maneuver and move by Oct. 31.
Employees who fail to make the transition will have to go away the company between August 2024 and January 2025, Bloomberg reports.
Walmart CEO Doug McMillon. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Walmart isn’t the only company to implement a strict RTO policy. Salesforce announced last month that employees across multiple departments were required to return into the office, weeks after shedding 300 workers. Bank of America threatened “disciplinary action” for employees who weren’t in person at the office.
Dell asked employees to return to the office and said those that didn’t wouldn’t be promoted. In May, Dell began tracking worker badge movements and said it will consider the metric in determining how employees were evaluated, rewarded and compensated.
A July study by Bamboo HR found that C-suite executives were secretly hoping that RTOs would prompt employees to go away and result in voluntary turnover. Bamboo HR called RTOs “layoffs in disguise.”