Kroger’s corporate workers to head back to the office

Employees at Kroger’s downtown Cincinnati headquarters and other corporate offices will be expected to report to their desks most days of the work week in 2024, a significant change since the outset of the pandemic when most employees were allowed to work from home.

The news was first reported by the Cincinnati Business Courier Monday and was confirmed via an email to WGB from a Kroger spokesperson.

“Our teams are thriving when we work together to achieve our goals,” the spokesperson said. “To better support our teams, our customers and the communities we serve, beginning Feb. 5, 2024, associates will be coming into their assigned offices for three to four days a week. We look forward to welcoming our associates more often to our beautiful downtown Cincinnati and other locations.”

Previously, workers were expected to be in the office two days a week, according to rules put in place in early 2021, the Business Courier reported, noting that about 5,800 people work at Kroger’s downtown Cincinnati headquarters and other nearby offices, with another 2,000 employees at a building on Vine Street in Cincinnati. Workers at outposts in Charlotte, North Carolina; San Jose, California; Boca Raton, Florida; Portland, Oregon; and Chicago will also be required to return to the office most days of the week.

Kroger, the nation's largest grocer by store count, employs about 430,000 workers nationwide, with most of them working in the grocer’s supermarkets.

As the impacts of the pandemic have eased, many companies have pressed their workers to return to the office.

Last month, Seattle-based retail giant Amazon reportedly warned that employees who don’t report to the office at least three days a week may not receive promotions, according to published reports.

Walmart corporate employees, meanwhile, were asked to return to the office on a more regular basis more than two years ago.

Retail competitor Target, however, in a blog post in April 2022, said it is focused on providing personalized schedules for its workers. “Most team members won’t be given a set amount of time they’re expected to be onsite vs. remote,” the Minneapolis-based retailer said. “Instead, each person will work with their leader to personalize a plan based on their role, team and preferences.”