Dick’s Sporting Goods furloughing a ‘significant number’ of employees due to pandemic

Dick’s Sporting Goods will furlough a “significant number” of its employees because of the coronavirus pandemic that has led to the closure of stores, schools and gyms and the cancellation of most sports. 

The sporting goods company announced the decision in a regulatory filing, saying that furloughed employees will be paid through April 11 and will continue to have company health benefits if enrolled in the program.

The regulatory filing said it’s “increasingly evident” the reopening of stores will not occur “anytime soon.”

“It’s with a heavy heart and after considerable deliberation and concern for our teammates and for our company, that we now must furlough a significant number of our teammates, beginning April 12th,” the statement said. 

Dick’s Sporting Goods said small teams will continue to staff stores, distribution centers and corporate offices to follow social distancing practices. “Many” of the staff and executives will work at “reduced wages to help us through this crisis.”

“It is our goal that when this crisis subsides, we will welcome back our teammates, open our doors and get back to the business we love of serving athletes and our communities,” the filing continued. 

Many workers around the U.S. have been laid off or furloughed during the crisis as millions are under a stay-at-home order and nonessential businesses have shut down. Tesla, the Kennedy Center, Honda, Nissan and Disney have announced furloughs for at least some of their employees this month.

More than 10 million people filed for unemployment during the last two full weeks of March.