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| Restructuring and Related Activities [Abstract] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TRANSFORMATION STRATEGY COSTS | TRANSFORMATION STRATEGY COSTS As previously disclosed, we are undertaking an enterprise-wide transformation of our organization that includes various projects and initiatives, including workforce reductions and changes in processes and technology, that impact our global direct and indirect operating costs.
The table below presents transformation strategy costs for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024 (in millions):
Compensation and benefit costs under these programs are primarily related to severance costs incurred in conjunction with reductions in our workforce. We are primarily accounting for these separations under ASC Topic 712 as they have been, or will be, carried out under a plan which provides a contractual termination benefit to impacted employees. The nature of our separation initiatives has resulted in a relatively short period of time, typically less than one year, between the point at which the separation meets the criteria for recognition as an accrual and the point at which the separation is completed.
Other expenses incurred in furtherance of our transformation strategy have been primarily related to fees paid to third-party service providers that supported end-to-end process redesign, assisted in our strategic reviews and contributed to our financial systems transition and healthcare strategy.
The income tax effects of transformation strategy costs are calculated by multiplying the amount of the adjustments by the statutory tax rates applicable in each tax jurisdiction.
Transformation strategy costs during the periods presented related to our Transformation 2.0, Fit to Serve, and Network Reconfiguration and Efficiency Reimagined programs. Total costs by program are shown in the table below for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024 (in millions):
Transformation 2.0: Based on a number of factors including evaluating efficiencies previously gained, and in connection with changes in our executive leadership in 2020, we identified and reprioritized certain then-current and future investments, including additional investments in our workforce, portfolio of businesses and technology (such projects, collectively, “Transformation 2.0”). Specifically, we identified opportunities to reduce spans and layers of management, began a review of our business portfolio and identified opportunities to invest in certain technologies, including financial reporting and certain schedule, time and pay systems, to reduce global indirect operating costs, provide better visibility, and reduce reliance on legacy systems and coding languages. As of March 31, 2025, our remaining efforts under Transformation 2.0 include initiatives related to our financial systems. Previously completed initiatives within Transformation 2.0 are described in note 18 to the audited consolidated financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024. As of March 31, 2025, we have incurred $814 million of costs as part of Transformation 2.0. Transformation 2.0 initiatives are expected to conclude during 2025 with anticipated remaining costs of approximately $75 million primarily related to completion of our technology initiatives. Costs associated with Transformation 2.0 have primarily consisted of compensation and benefit costs related to reductions in our workforce and fees paid to third-party consultants. Investments in technology are expected to provide enhanced quality of reporting for both internal and external purposes in part through simplification and standardization of data to better enable migration into cloud-based tools and automation of manual activities, including transitioning general ledger, consolidation, and planning tools along with U.S. payroll from older programs and software supporting our freight forwarding business. These efforts to enhance our technology are expected to reduce the need for future investments; we expect to realize benefits therefrom beginning during the second quarter of 2025.
Fit to Serve: During 2023, we began our "Fit to Serve" initiative, which is intended to right-size our business for the future through a workforce reduction of approximately 14,000 positions and create a more efficient operating model to enhance responsiveness to changing market dynamics.
Accruals for separation costs of $28 and $45 million within Fit to Serve were included in our consolidated balance sheets as of March 31, 2025 and December 31, 2024, respectively. During the first quarter, we made payments of $33 million and accrued additional separation costs of $16 million. As of March 31, 2025, we have incurred total costs of $435 million and anticipate that we will incur additional costs of approximately $25 million under Fit to Serve. Fit to Serve is expected to conclude in 2025.
Network Reconfiguration and Efficiency Reimagined: As previously disclosed, our Network of the Future initiative is intended to enhance our efficiency through automation and operational sort consolidation in our U.S. Domestic network. In connection with our plan for lower volumes from our largest customer, we began our Network Reconfiguration initiative, which is an expansion of Network of the Future and is expected to lead to consolidations of our facilities and workforce as well as an end-to-end process redesign. We launched our Efficiency Reimagined initiatives to undertake the end-to-end process redesign effort which will align our organizational processes to the network reconfiguration. We expect to reduce our operational workforce by 25 million hours and by approximately 20,000 positions during 2025 and close 73 leased and owned buildings by the end of June 2025. We are continuing to review our network and may identify additional buildings for closure. As of March 31, 2025, we continue to evaluate the impact of expected changes in volume on our air network. We anticipate $3.5 billion of total cost savings will be delivered this year from Network Reconfiguration and Efficiency Reimagined and, through March 31, 2025 we had realized approximately $500 million in cost savings and incurred related costs of $23 million from these initiatives. These initiatives are expected to end in 2027.
In connection with the Network Reconfiguration and Efficiency Reimagined programs described above, we expect to record between $400 and $600 million in expense during 2025, related to early asset retirements, lease related costs, third-party consulting fees and employee separation benefits. We expect the costs associated with these actions may increase should we determine to close additional buildings. It is our intention to sell the property and equipment associated with closed facilities; however, as of the date hereof, we have not yet formalized plans of sale. In addition, we believe that workforce reductions may require a remeasurement of certain U.S. pension and postretirement benefit plan obligations and assets at an interim date. We are not yet able to estimate the timing or potential impact of such an event.
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