Target Lays Off 100 Administrative Assistants

The layoffs at Target Corp.’s Minneapolis headquarters continued Thursday with about 100 administrative assistants losing their jobs.

In addition, the company said it would not fill 40 open similar positions.

On March 10, the retailer laid off 1,700 corporate employees in the Twin Cities in an effort to find cost savings and to streamline its headquarters into a more agile organization. After those layoffs, Target employed about 11,300 employees at headquarters.

Target had been clear that that would not be the end of layoffs. The company said in March that it would cut several thousand jobs over the next two years.

Many administrative assistants had been expecting job cuts in the last several weeks as supervisors told them their ranks would be whittled down.

“In March, we shared with the internal team that we would be evolving our administrative support model to reflect a reduced headquarters workforce and drive efficiencies,” the company said in a statement.

Previously, Target had a more one-to-one model with many executives at director level and above having an administrative assistant. With these layoffs, administrative assistants will work with at least two executives rather than one, a company spokeswoman said.

Target said the affected employees will receive at least 15 weeks of pay as part of a severance package based on their years of service. The company will also pay the employer portion of their benefits for the next six months.

And as the company did for workers laid off in March, these workers will be able to take free executive education certification classes at the University of St. Thomas and will receive a discount if they want to pursue an evening or part-time MBA course.

“Target is transforming its business given rapid changes in retail and technology, evolving guest expectations and the competitive landscape,” the company said. “We are taking a long-term view, which includes reducing complexity and controlling costs to become more agile and innovative.”

This article appeared in print in the May 1st, 2015 edition of Hamodia.