Woolworths does not publish a direct human resources telephone number or HR mailbox on either its retail website or the Woolworths Holdings corporate site. The head office switchboard is the only corporate voice route it publishes, and the customer care line is not an HR channel.
Task scope
This covers reaching Woolworths about employment matters: an application, a payslip or employment record, or a query from a current or former employee. It does not cover shopping, deliveries, rewards or store card accounts, which have their own lines and are listed below so you do not spend time on the wrong one.
Route
- Woolworths Holdings head office switchboard: 021 407 9111 (published as +27 021 407 9111)
- General customer enquiries, not HR: 0860 022 002 or [email protected]
- Woolworths Online: 0860 100 987 or [email protected]
- MyDifference rewards: 0861 502 050 or [email protected]
- Woolworths Financial Services: 0861 50 20 20, [email protected], [email protected]
- Corporate sales: [email protected]
Requirements
Because no HR line is published, ask the switchboard to be transferred to human resources and be specific about whether your query concerns a job application, a current employment matter or a past employment record, as these are usually handled by different teams. Store level employment matters are normally dealt with by the store manager rather than by head office. Note that the holdings site publishes its number as +27 021 407 9111, which carries both the country code and the national trunk zero and will not dial in that form from abroad; use 021 407 9111 locally or +27 21 407 9111 internationally.
Steps
Call 021 407 9111 and ask for human resources. If you are a current employee, go through your store or site manager first, since head office will normally route you back there. If you are applying for work, apply through the official Woolworths recruitment process rather than through anyone offering placement for a fee. The Woolworths Holdings head office is in Cape Town and the retail customer call centre operates Monday to Friday 08:00 to 17:30, Saturday 08:00 to 17:00, Sunday 09:00 to 13:00 and public holidays 09:00 to 13:00, closed on Christmas Day and New Years Day.
Escalation
An unresolved employment dispute is not a consumer matter and does not go to the customer care line. Disputes about dismissal, unfair labour practice or unpaid wages go to the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration, and complaints about basic conditions of employment go to the Department of Employment and Labour. A complaint about a Woolworths Financial Services product uses [email protected] and then the National Financial Ombud on 0860 800 900, which is a separate route from any employment matter.
Sources
- Woolworths contact page: woolworths.co.za/contactus
- Woolworths Holdings general contact: woolworthsholdings.co.za/contacts/general/