HR News: More Pushback on Remote Work, Walmart Cuts Minimum Wage, UAW Considers Strike, Millennials Rule Hybrid Work, and Cyber Layoffs
HREN News Roundup for the Week of 9/4
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This is a weekly roundup of the latest in HR News.
Sometimes old news is new news in Human Resources. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon spent the summer continuing to take a hardline on remote work. The Street reports on why it thinks he is in favor of strict return to office (RTO) mandates. In addition, Walmart lowers its minimum wage as the jobs market cools. The United Auto Workers are close to striking. Millennials are most likely to be joining the hybrid workers' ranks. And cybersecurity workers, once thought to be layoff-proof, are facing redundancy. Get all the details here:
Pushback on Remote Work
Nowadays, many employers are insisting that workers return to the office in full force. Last week, HR Exchange Network reported on Goldman Sachs enforcing a five-day RTO rule. The Street recently reported on how Dimon longs for the same at JPMorgan Chase. This is not new news. Some have suggested the big banks are concerned about compliance with However, The Street speculates that Dimon is most interested in strict RTO as a result of the organization's real estate investments.
Walmart Lowers the Minimum Wage
Apparently, Walmart is paying some new hires less than it was paying others three months ago, according to the Wall Street Journal. The writer suggests that this is a sign that companies are trying to cut labor costs after significant wage increases during the Great Resignation. Most new hires will now earn the lowest possible hourly wage for their store.
"The wage-structure change comes after Walmart and other large employers have for years steadily raised wages and added benefits to attract workers in a tight labor market. The retailer’s latest move suggests that the stresses companies are facing in trying to find employees are easing and that they need to find ways to offset those wage increases," according to WSJ.
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UAW May Strike
The summer of strikes might just turn into the fall of strikes. The United Auto Workers (UAW) told General Motors that their proposal was insulting, according to CNBC. The contract for GM's 46,000 UAW-represented workers included a 10% increase in wages. But the union rejected it and within days the UAW may go on strike.
"Despite the proposed wage increase being the largest under a UAW contract since 1999, it still falls far short of the union’s demands of a 40% hourly pay increase, a reduced 32-hour workweek, a shift back to traditional pensions, elimination of compensation tiers, and restoration of cost-of-living adjustments, among other items on the table," according to CNBC.
Millennials Are the Hybrid Workers
LinkedIn is sharing data points from its latest Workforce Confidence survey, and it showed a difference in the way generations are experiencing work at the moment. About 20% of Millennials, compared to 17% of Gen X and 15% of Baby Boomers, are hybrid workers.
WATCH: Embrace Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Boomers at Work
Cybersecurity Sees Layoffs
Cybersecurity was once considered a safe role to have because of the great necessity to protect data and technology from breaches. However, in the last month, nine cybersecurity companies have laid off employees, according to Axios. IronNet, Malwarebytes, Fortinet, NCC Group, Rapid7, Dragos, HackerOne, and Bishop Fox are among those that cut jobs. The publication reported that the companies have cut between 10% and 20% of their workforce, which amounts to hundreds of layoffs.
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