Home Depot Is Taking a Different Approach to Curb Labor Shortage The company is hiring more than 100,000 associates in anticipation of a busy spring season.
By Amanda Breen
As a nationwide labor shortage continues to put pressure on some of the U.S.'s biggest companies, hiring managers have had to get creative when it comes to acquiring and retaining talent, whether it's Arkansas's $10,000 relocation offer or an Arizona CEO's quit-incentivizing payout. Now, The Home Depot is mixing up its hiring strategy too; per the company's website, applicants can look forward to an accelerated hiring process — and might even receive an offer within one day of applying.
In anticipation of a busy spring season, the world's largest home-improvement retailer is hiring more than 100,000 flexible, full-time and part-time positions, including customer service and sales, store support, freight, merchandising and warehouse associates. The company will host a Virtual Spring Career Day on Wednesday, Feb. 16, where prospective applicants can learn about the various available roles and growth opportunities. Attendees will also have access to panel sessions featuring company leadership on topics like a "day-in-the-life-view" of open roles, career planning and benefits.
Related: Beware the Rebound in Home Depot
"In today's climate, jobseekers are shopping for the best opportunity," said Eric Schelling, vice president of global talent acquisition at The Home Depot in a statement. "At The Home Depot, they'll find a company that offers much more than a job and a paycheck."
In addition to providing employees with health and personal benefits, Home Depot is offering tuition reimbursement, a performance-based cash-bonus program, paid family leave, back-up dependent care, a 401(k) savings plan with company match and a discounted company-stock purchase program.
In response to the challenges imposed by the pandemic, companies across a range of industries have bulked up their benefits packages and even experimented with so-called "digital perks," or incentives that, to some extent, serve as replacements for those nice-to-haves many employees had gotten used to in the office. Momentive (formerly known as SurveyMonkey) employees were treated to kitchen-themed care packages and $500 stipends for home-office improvements, and staff at insurance comparison marketplace startup The Zebra were even reimbursed for pet-adoption fees.
According to MarketWatch, Home Depot shares climbed 0.12% higher to $366.98 on Monday, but have continued to underperform the market.