Employees Conagra Foods hear more about corporate changes

Last Friday, Conagra Foods detailed broad measures, including layoffs, early retirement incentives and cuts to travel and catering, in its bid to save money and boost shareholder return.

The news came two weeks after ConAgra said it would cut 1500 jobs. In Omaha, Nebraska 1,000 jobs will be cut and an additional 300 workers will move to Chicago, along with the corporate headquarters that has been in Omaha since 1922.

Information technology workers were told Friday that about 40 of their positions will be eliminated over the next six months. The workers support a project related to how goods and services flow through the company’s production process.

The job cuts are the first tangible steps taken since it said last month it expects to incur about $345 million in costs that include expenses to move to Chicago and dismiss employees.

The backdrop to the corporate reshuffling was constructed on Wall Street: Big investors this summer began pressuring management to amp up profits, cut costs and revitalize old brands such as Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn and Banquet TV dinners.

“We need to reduce our selling, general and administrative costs and that means we will have fewer positions in many areas,” reads a memo obtained by The World-Herald on Friday that was sent to ConAgra employees by Charisse Brock, senior vice president for human resources.

The memo said ConAgra will disclose information about more layoffs in early November and later.