The resounding fear about FinTech automation is that robots will render the human employee useless. Analysts and the providers of this automated technology have worked to quell those fears, arguing that these tools instead allow humans to focus on more value-added services.
But the latest news from Walmart seems to suggest some employees’ worst fears are coming true.
Reports last week said Walmart is ready to slash 7,000 back-office jobs over the next few months, the result of the company implementing new invoice and accounting tools. While reports didn’t specify whether those tools were automated or not, they did say that Walmart is overhauling its invoicing and accounting departments by centralizing them.
But that doesn’t mean those workers will be out of a job. Walmart explained that it plans to reposition these employees from the back office to the front of the stores, working with consumers, as the company continues to fight for commerce dominance with Amazon and looks to heighten its customer service quality in that fight.
A spokesperson for the company didn’t offer specifics on any wage changes, however.
“It will be guided by the roles that will be available and the roles that associates choose to go after,” the spokesperson, Deisha Barnett, said.
Some advocates for Walmart employees, however, are concerned that pay cuts will be the norm. According to Making Change at Walmart, a campaign that’s supported by the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union, some employees impacted by this change are probably going to see pay cuts.
The group describes back-office jobs as “some of the better positions at Walmart.”
“They could come with a higher salary and also allowed a worker to be at a desk as opposed to be on their feet all day,” a spokesperson for the campaign said.
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