A Walmart employee in Bengaluru has alleged that the retail giant is calling workers to the office only to conduct face-to-face firing meetings. In a viral LinkedIn post, the employee described the atmosphere at the office as tense and fear-driven. She claimed that those who were not part of the layoffs feel more anxious than relieved.
“There is a Walmart f2f firing drive (yes I said FIRING not HIRING ) going on, Walmart is calling people in office , to tell them that they are fired. Whom to blame here : 1. The AI ? 2. The poor management? 3. or the Employees ?” the woman questioned. HT.com has not yet independently verified the information.
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“The one who is fired will still figure out the options, but the one who stay, will stay in fear now,” she continued.
She quoted the saying “Danger is better than fear of Danger,” and expressed that those who have survived the firings “will live in fear for the rest of the time.” She claimed this will make those employees work extra hours just to prove their potential.
{{/usCountry}}She quoted the saying “Danger is better than fear of Danger,” and expressed that those who have survived the firings “will live in fear for the rest of the time.” She claimed this will make those employees work extra hours just to prove their potential.
{{/usCountry}}“My heart (sic) goes out to all, those who are staying and those who are not. As it would be difficult for both,” she wrote and concluded her post.
HT.com has reached out to Walmart and the Walmart employee. This report will be updated as soon as a response is received.
How did social media react to the post?
An individual commented, “Hiring with one hand, firing with the other — glad I didn’t join. I would’ve been stressed all the time!” Another added, “The difference is that days of calm will be max a week, but the ones who are laid off will get that feeling until they get the next job. Experienced, been the part of ‘next cycle’.”
Also Read: Indian techie recalls being a part of mass layoff during ‘out of the blue’ town hall by CEO: ‘A tough period’
A third remarked, “Walmart doesn't need people to sell stuff. Self-checkouts can do it; those SCOs can be updated by AI.” A fourth wrote, “Loyalty has no value. The priorities of a company can change drastically at any time.”
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, Walmart is cutting 1,500 corporate jobs. Bloomberg reported that the mass layoff would affect jobs at the company's headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas and other office locations.