CINCINNATI — Nearly four years after the COVID-19 pandemic drove people from office buildings across the country and into a work-from-home capacity, Kroger is pulling its general office associates back to work in-person.
A letter sent to general office associates says by Feb. 5 of next year, those associates will be expected to come into their assigned offices "at least three or four days a week," unless they're traveling for work or visiting store sites.
The move is effective for people working in the Cincinnati, Portland, Chicago, San Jose, Boca Raton and Charlotte areas, the letter says. It's specifically aimed at associates who "live within a reasonable driving distance of a corporate hub," according to the letter.
It goes on to say that associates who are outside of a "reasonable proximity" to a corporate hub will continue to work remotely — up to a point.
"However, as we look ahead to our planned merger with Albertsons, we expect in-person collaboration to be a critical foundational element of the future combined company," reads the letter. "As such, associates who are located outside of a reasonable proximity to Cincinnati, Portland, Chicago, San Jose, Boca Raton, Charlotte or another corporate hub may be eligible and expected to relocate to an approved company facility by June 2025."
According to the letter, whether employees return to in-person offices full-time or are one of those "eligible and expected to relocate" will be up to an associates team leaders. Those leaders, the letter says, can determine whether they want their teams in more often than the three-to-four days Kroger is mandating.
A Kroger spokesperson issued a statement about the letter:
"Our teams are thriving when we work together to achieve our goals. To better support our teams, our customers and the communities we serve, beginning February 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."
It's unclear how many workers have been utilizing office space within Kroger's downtown Cincinnati tower since 2020; the company declined to provide details on 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 same month the city of Cincinnati announced its intention to claw back tax breaks from General Electric, following the news the company would move out of its 12-story office tower at The Banks.
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