Kroger's spokesperson announced on Tuesday that as collaborative efforts benefit team success, associates must work in their assigned offices three to four days a week starting February 5, 2024, to enhance support for teams, customers, and communities. The company is excited about welcoming associates more frequently to downtown Cincinnati and other locations. The move marks a significant shift from when most employees were permitted to work from home in the early days of the pandemic.
The Cincinnati Business Courier initially reported the news on Monday, which a Kroger spokesperson later confirmed through an email to WGB.
Shifting From COVID-19 Pandemic Trend
During the COVID-19 pandemic, "remote working" became common, requiring employees to work from home instead of offices. As the pandemic eases, employers urge employees to return to offices, emphasizing improved efficiency and collaboration.
Kroger employees will work in their designated offices three to four days a week to enhance support for Kroger's teams, customers, and communities starting February 5, 2024.
Kroger as The Largest Grocery Store Chain in the U.S.
As of January 28, approximately 430,000 people were employed nationwide by Kroger, the largest grocery store chain in the United States in terms of stores, where most staff work in its supermarkets, according to a regulatory filing. The mandate would impact more than 5,800 Kroger Co. regional office workers who live close to a corporate hub in Greater Cincinnati and locations in North Carolina, Illinois, and Florida. It can be recalled that the American grocery chain has encouraged its employees to work two or more days a week since June 2021.
Reinforcement of RTO for A Thriving Team in 2024
The letter further explains that associates not nearby can still work remotely but with a limitation. However, in anticipation of the planned merger with Albertsons, the letter emphasizes the importance of in-person collaboration for the future combined company. Therefore, associates situated away from specific corporate hubs might be required to relocate to an approved company facility by June 2025.
As per the letter, whether employees return to in-person offices full-time or are among those "eligible and expected to relocate" will be left to the discretion of associates' team leaders. The letter states that these leaders can decide if they want their teams to be in the office more frequently than the three to four days mandated by Kroger.
How many employees have been using office space in Kroger's downtown Cincinnati tower since 2020 is unclear. The company chose not to share information about its remote and hybrid working arrangements for a 2022 WCPO I-Team piece on the impact remote working has had on downtown businesses.
The letter was sent to Kroger employees in the month when the city of Cincinnati revealed plans to retract tax breaks from General Electric. This decision came after the announcement that GE would relocate from its 12-story office tower at The Banks.
