Kroger return to office policy5 days a week.

What the policy says.

• A spokesperson said the rule applies to 'all office associates', including the 84.51 data unit, the Technology & Digital unit and the downtown Cincinnati HQ.
• About 4,800 office employees are affected, per Allwork.Space.
• EVP and chief associate experience officer Tim Massa said in-person work helps Kroger 'move faster, solve problems more quickly, and better align on priorities' and support round-the-clock stores, plants and distribution centers.
• No exceptions were reported for the 2026 rule.
• The December 2023 letter covered hubs in Cincinnati, Portland, Chicago, San Jose, Boca Raton and Charlotte; associates far from a hub could be expected to relocate by June 2025, and team leaders could require more days.
• The mandate followed corporate layoffs in 2025, including about 1,000 in August 2025.

How Kroger's policy changed since 2020.

1. December 2023

   Letter told general office staff to come in 3-4 days/week from Feb. 5, 2024; some remote associates may be expected to relocate to a hub

2. February 5, 2024

   Hybrid rule of 3-4 days/week in assigned offices took effect

3. August 2025

   About 1,000 corporate employees laid off

4. November 2025

   Kroger announced the end of hybrid work: 5 days/week in office from January 2026

5. January 5, 2026

   Five-day in-office requirement took effect

Sources and how sure we are.

1. 1.Remote Kroger employees will return to office full time Supermarket News, November 21, 2025
2. 2.Kroger shifts in-office mandate for employees Local 12 WKRC (citing Cincinnati Business Courier), November 21, 2025
3. 3.Kroger ending remote work option for corporate employees Chain Store Age, November 2025
4. 4.Kroger to end remote work for 4,800 office employees Allwork.Space, November 24, 2025
5. 5.Kroger orders employees back to office Supermarket News, December 12, 2023
6. 6.Kroger orders workers back to in-person offices for 3 to 4 days per week; some may be expected to relocate WCPO, December 2023
7. 7.Companies Returning to Office: RTO Tracker [October 2026] Archie, October 1, 2026

Days a week are for most US corporate employees; some teams, roles and countries differ. Spot something out of date? Email hello@forgot.dev.

Other retail and consumer employers, side by side.

• Home Depot5 days a week, since April 20265
• Best Buy4 days a week, since September 20264
• Nike4 days a week, since January 20244
• Starbucks4 days a week, since September 20254
• Lowe's3 days a week, since January 20223
• McDonald's3 days a week, since October 20213
• Procter & GambleHybrid, no set number of daysNo set days
• TargetEach team decides, since September 2026Team decides

Working to an office rule? Plan the days that matter.

The hybrid work schedule template builds a week of office days for your team: anchor days everyone shares, the rest spread so the office never overflows. Then Forgot keeps office days, remote days and vacations on one calendar, so nobody commutes in for a planning day half the team is away for.