Monday’s business headlines

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Here’s a look at Monday’s business headlines.

Kroger

Just days after announcing it would end hazard “hero” pay to frontline workers, Kroger says it will give them extra “thank you” bonuses.

The Cincinnati Enquirer says the move comes after an outcry from the grocery store’s union, the United Food and Commercial Workers International, which said workers are still risking their lives by coming to work.

The bonus is $400 for fulltime workers and $200 for part-time workers.

Gen Z

Generation Z – young people born after 1996 – is facing a world disrupted by the coronavirus, and half of those surveyed in a new analysis say the pandemic has led to them or somone in their household losing a job or taking a pay cut.

That was higher than any other generation.

The older GenZers turn 23 this year.

JCPenney

The 118-year-old JCPenney has filed for bankruptcy and plans to close some stores.

The company joins the growing list of large clothing retailers forced to file to bankruptcy protection, joining Neiman Marcus, J. Crew and True Religion.

It’s faced slumping sales as shoppers increasingly turn to online options and mall foot traffic declines.

Microsoft

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella warned in an interview with the New York Times on Thursday that making remote work permanent could lead to negative consequences for social interaction and mental health.

While Microsoft was one of the first companies to shift its tech workforce remotely when the pandemic began to spread across the globe, Nadella says that switching to entirely remote offices would just be “replacing one dogma with another dogma.”