Atlanta, Georgia-based Home Depot, the iconic home improvement retail corporation that sells tools, construction products, appliances, and services, including fuel and transportation rentals, has announced an organizational change that will result in a reduction in force as part of a strategic shift toward automation and to address cautious consumer spending.
The reduction will affect approximately 800 corporate employees, primarily in-house and remote IT staff who work at or report to the Atlanta store support center.
According to CEO Ted Decker, “We are announcing changes designed to increase our speed and agility. To extend our industry-leading position, we must position the company to move faster and stay even more closely connected to our customers and frontline associates.
In-person engagement enables more meaningful support for store and field associates, drives results, and reinforces our people-centric culture and inverted pyramid. As we shift to the new schedule, in-office associates will continue to have flexibility to manage life events in coordination with their team and leader
These changes are essential to simplify our business and focus our energy on the priorities ahead. Going forward, we will be better positioned to deliver on our strategic priorities, support our frontline associates, and serve our customers.”
A company spokesperson noted, “We’re simplifying our corporate operations to better support our stores and our customers with the goal of driving greater agility and positioning the company to move faster and stay even more closely connected with our frontline associates."
Change is constant, and it's coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life, nor promises of a bright future. We see good people being laid off through no fault of their own. Just because something terrible hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, at any time, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. While many employees can read the writing on the wall, why do most assume it’s targeted at someone else? Are you now wondering, Am I Next?