Hundreds of employees at Tyson Foods have decided not to relocate to the company’s headquarters in Arkansas next year as the company consolidates its corporate offices.
The workers are reportedly from two of its largest business units, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Tyson announced in October that it planned to close its offices in Chicago, Downers Grove, Ill., and Dakota Dunes, S.D.
Those corporate employees work in the prepared foods, beef and pork divisions. About 1,000 employees total work in those locations, the company has said.
Tyson set a deadline of Nov. 14 to decide if they would relocate.
About three-quarters of the 500 employees in Tyson’s South Dakota office told the company they wouldn’t make the move.
More than 90% of the employees in Tyson’s Chicago office have declined to relocate, people told the Journal.
Nationwide, the meat company has about 120,000 employees, with about 114,000 of them working in production plants.
“I’m confident the plan we have in place ensures business continuity and positions us for long-term success,” said Tyson Chief Executive Donnie King in a statement. “We knew there would be a variety of responses when we announced the consolidation of our corporate locations.”
Some key managers have planned to leave instead of relocate including the leader of its beef and pork unit.
Tyson’s beef and pork division makes up almost half the company’s $53 billion in revenue in its 2022 fiscal year.
