Reimagining our way of working, and the role of our workspace in technology

I never would have imagined that in my first year leading technology at the world’s largest retailer, I’d be guiding a team through a global pandemic. These past few months have been unlike anything we’ve ever experienced, but through resilience, empathy, hard work and a lot of patience, we’re helping millions of customers and associates who count on us and our team is stronger than ever.

All of us are adjusting, in ways big and small. Adapting to change helped make Walmart the greatest success story in business. And, it’s what has me excited about the future, even with so much uncertainty around us.

We’ve learned a lot about working virtually during this time and we’re using these learnings to rethink the future of work. I’m sharing a memo I sent to the team inviting them to help us invent this future that makes virtual work the new normal for Global Technology.

Team, 

One of the things that impresses me most about this team, is that when the pandemic hit and our customers, associates and company relied on us, you didn’t hesitate, you leaned in and delivered. You did it while adjusting to the reality of working virtually. I can’t thank you enough! 

An equally amazing observation is…that as we’ve moved to virtual work, we haven't just coped, we’ve actually thrived. We are more focused on the things that have the greatest impact for our customers, associates and the business. We are making quicker decisions and acting. Meetings are now more inclusive of people regardless of location, level or other differences. We have great momentum and need to figure out how to carry it forward. 

We are not alone. This unusual time has many companies, largely those in tech and services, thinking differently about the future of work. So, how do we think the future could look? 

We believe the way of working in the future, particularly in tech, will be fundamentally different than it was before. We believe it will be one in which working virtually will be the new normal, at least for most of the work we lead.  

With this in mind, we’ve decided that even as restrictions are lifted and other groups in Walmart eventually return to their offices, we will take our time, and think about how we can invent the workspace of the future. We will have physical office space and it will be used primarily for collaboration, to sync up and strengthen camaraderie. We’ll be together, at times, and for a purpose. While we believe working virtually will likely be the new normal, we have a lot to work through to make sure we maintain our momentum and the benefits you’ve gained as an associate. 

We want you to be a part of this reinvention. 

We will have multiple workstreams to look at the different dimensions of this and consider geographic nuances. We want to create opportunities for you to actively participate. Our primary focus in this transition is you, our associates. Isabel Cruz will lead all of the workstreams related to associate experience, engagement and wellbeing. I’ve also asked Cheryl Ainoa to lead our efforts to include you in the reimagination of how we work virtually and collaborate in physical space, enabled by the right tooling and technology. We’ll talk more about all of this during our meetup this afternoon.

Sam Walton once said, “After a lifetime of swimming upstream, I am convinced that one of the real secrets to Walmart’s phenomenal success has been that very tendency. Many of our best opportunities were created out of necessity.” I’m personally excited about how this new way of working can enable all of us to do our best work and to lead the way for many others. 

Suresh