Home Depot announced Wednesday that it is laying off approximately 800 employees and requiring corporate staff to return to the office five days per week, effective the week of April 6.
In a memo to employees, CEO Ted Decker said the changes are designed to improve the company’s “speed and agility” as it works to maintain its competitive position. He emphasized the importance of closer collaboration and stronger connections with customers and frontline associates.
A company spokesperson confirmed that about 150 of the affected roles are based at Home Depot’s Atlanta headquarters, with the remaining positions held by remote employees. Most of the layoffs impact the company’s technology organization, along with some other corporate teams.
Decker noted that in-person work supports Home Depot’s people-centric culture and helps simplify the business while sharpening focus on key priorities. He added that greater in-office engagement enables stronger support for store and field associates and drives better results overall.
The announcement comes as Home Depot continues to navigate softer-than-expected sales. The retailer has cited higher mortgage rates, economic uncertainty, and consumer reluctance to take on large home improvement projects as factors weighing on demand following the pandemic-era boom.
Home Depot missed Wall Street earnings expectations for the third consecutive quarter in November. The company currently forecasts fiscal 2025 sales growth of about 3%, with comparable sales expected to be slightly positive.
Shares of Home Depot are down roughly 10% over the past year, lagging the S&P 500’s gains, though the stock is up about 9% year to date. The company is scheduled to report fiscal fourth-quarter earnings on February 24.
About The Home Depot
The Home Depot is the world’s largest home improvement specialty retailer. At the end of the third quarter of fiscal year 2023, the company operated a total of 2,333 retail stores in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, 10 Canadian provinces and Mexico. The company employs approximately 470,000 associates. The Home Depot’s stock is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: HD) and is included in the Dow Jones industrial average and Standard & Poor’s 500 index.
