Personnel

Wal-Mart Cuts Some Workers’ Hours After Pay Raise Boosts Costs
September 1, 2015 at 10:47 am

Wal-Mart, in the midst of spending $1 billion to raise employees’ wages and give them extra training, has been cutting the number of hours some of them work in a bid to keep costs in check. Regional executives told store managers at the retailer’s annual holiday planning meeting last month to rein in expenses by cutting…

Gap is Latest Company to Phase Out On-Call Scheduling of Employees
August 27, 2015 at 11:57 am

Facing increasing pressure to curb erratic scheduling practices, Gap announced that it would stop requiring employees to make themselves available for last-minute shifts. The move makes Gap the latest retailer to move away from “on-call scheduling,” which regulators, workers’ rights groups and some academics say is detrimental to employees and their families.  

Amazon Lays Off Engineers, Curbs Hardware Development After Fire Phone Flop
August 27, 2015 at 11:51 am

Amazon.com has laid off "dozens" of engineers who worked on its failed Fire phone as part of a broader curtailment of its hardware development center, Lab126, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. The company is also said to be stopping or slowing projects, including a 14-inch tablet codenamed Project Cairo, a projector…

Amazon's 401(k) Plan Draws Criticism
August 25, 2015 at 10:49 am

Amazon.com doesn't offer its employees a terribly good 401(k) retirement savings plan, according to an analysis of the plan by Bloomberg. Bloomberg even calls the plan "pretty brutal." That's a reference to a recent report in The New York Times that blasted Amazon's work environment, calling it "bruising." (Amazon's founder and CEO Jeff Bezos has refuted that story,…

Walgreens Announces 370 Corporate Job Cuts
August 18, 2015 at 2:48 pm

Walgreens Boots Alliance confirmed Monday that it will lay off 270 Chicago employees in corporate support as it continues to shed jobs and consolidate functions following its merger. The retail drug chain said the Chicago layoffs are part of 370 corporate jobs being cut companywide. No store workers will be affected. Employees are being offered…

Kohl's Loses Effort to Block Key Exec From Moving to Another Retailer
August 12, 2015 at 3:44 pm

Kohl's Corp. lost a fight with a key technology executive Monday as a judge refused to stop her from taking a higher-paying job with an upscale retailer. Reserve Judge Robert G. Mawdsley said Kohl's hadn't shown that a noncompete contract covering former chief information officer Janet Schalk was likely to stand up under Wisconsin law.…

Crate and Barrel Names New CEO
July 10, 2015 at 2:12 pm

Crate and Barrel has named Doug Diemoz as its new CEO, the Northbrook, Ill.-based home furnishings retailer announced Thursday. Diemoz is currently chief development officer for California-based Restoration Hardware. Diemoz will start his new role with Crate and Barrel on Aug. 1. A 20-year retail veteran, Diemoz joined Restoration Hardware in March 2014. He was…

Barnes & Noble Names Sears Exec its New CEO
July 2, 2015 at 2:39 pm

Barnes & Noble, the nation’s largest retail bookseller, today announced that Ronald D. Boire has been named CEO of Barnes & Noble’s retail business, effective Sept. 8, 2015. Mr. Boire is currently president and chief executive officer, and a member of the board of directors, Sears Canada.

American Apparel Sues Dov Charney, Alleges ‘Scorched Earth Campaign’
May 19, 2015 at 4:18 pm

After facing a volley of lawsuits from Dov Charney and his allies, American Apparel is firing back by accusing its ousted chief executive of running a "scorched earth campaign" as he tries to regain control of the company. The Los Angeles clothing maker said Charney is violating the terms of a deal that he agreed…