Walmart offers raises, bonuses and promotions to employees
Retail giant Walmart has just announced big plans to support their workers this fall, just as peak season begins for most stores. These changes are intended to reward and thank employees for their work during the pandemic, while also creating more space for career growth at Walmart. So what is Walmart changing and how could these changes it affect you?
What is Walmart doing for its employees?
Walmart is recognizing its employees for their dedication, hard work, and bravery in 2020 by
- increasing hourly pay minimums
- restructuring their management hierarchy to allow for greater upward mobility
- offering $1.1 billion in worker bonuses (so far) this year
And these benefits aren’t just reserved for corporate employees. Walmart expects their hourly wage raises to affect roughly 165k Walmart associates who are working hard in stores every day.
1. Big pay raises on hourly wages
Walmart is boosting the base hourly rates for Fresh Food Associates and deli/bakery workers in their stores. Instead of a base hourly rate of $11/hr, these associates will see their wage increase to $15/hr or higher depending on their store. Team leads can see an increase in their pay up to $30/hr or more as well.
The importance of paying your workforce the right way...
In surveying Walmart employees, Walmart found that their workforce values a higher paycheck more than a big quarterly bonus. When you think about it, this makes perfect sense. Many of us would rather have a fatter paycheck every week than a single bonus check once every few months. Knowing this, the company is ensuring that it's not just a pay increase, but that they're paying its workers in the way that works best for them.
2. Restructuring teams for career growth
Walmart wants to encourage their workers to grow their careers, and the first step to making that happen is by offering career growth opportunities at Walmart. By restructuring their teams to include more tiers of growth, associates can see a clear path upward from where they start. Creating these tiers also allows Walmart to change existing roles to include more responsibilities (as well as more pay) for several roles across all stores. It’s basically an instant promotion for many Walmart employees that allows them to take on more responsibility and develop important leadership skills while working there.
**Here's one example of their team lead structure: **
Promoting these roles doesn’t just help the people who are currently working them. For those on lower tiers, it gives them the opportunity to be part of smaller teams where they can get more individual attention from their direct manager and have clearer goals that apply more directly to their store or department. This fosters a better environment for floor associates where they feel more connected to upper management and can have more agency within their team structure.
Fostering growth everywhere is good for everyone...
Walmart is committed to keeping their employees around for the long haul. They’re doing this by offering clear paths upward and increasing training opportunities. When you work at a company where you feel heard, cared for, and feel that the company cares about your professional growth, you’re likely to stick around.
Although this is an excellent move to improve employee satisfaction, Walmart isn’t doing this simply out of the goodness of their hearts. It’s good business to invest in your workforce and reward high performing employees. If you don’t do this, your most talented hires won’t stick around for long.
3. Company-wide bonuses
While quarterly bonuses may not be the single focus in paying employees more, Walmart is committed to continue offering quarterly bonuses for their employees. Throughout this year, Walmart has paid out $1.1 billion in bonuses to reward employees for their hard work through the unique challenges of the #Coronavirus pandemic...and they’re not about to stop there. Through the end of this year, employees will still be eligible to earn quarterly bonuses, even if they already received a bump in their pay.
The importance of saying “thank you”
Walmart recognizes the risk their workers have put themselves under by working in a front-line industry through a global pandemic. These jobs have historically been under-appreciated, but for a retail company like Walmart, front-line workers make up the backbone of their company. These bonuses are an important part of saying "thank you" for the risk workers continue to be under as the pandemic threatens people's health all over the country. Walmart has also implemented emergency leave policies and taken safety measures to protect workers, an important piece of demonstrating gratitude toward these crucial roles.
How does this affect me?
You may not be a Walmart employee yourself, but these changes do affect the landscape of work on a larger scale, and that may very well affect you. Walmart is a massive employer and a titan in the retail space. When larger companies like Walmart publicly make sweeping changes to support their workers, other companies take notes. Even for Walmart, some of these ideas were inspired by successful programs run by other retail stores.
The important indication there is that employers don’t just compete over sales, they compete for talent, and the best way to do that is by offering the best benefits and work environment. Walmart’s recent changes could spark a trend in employers to compete a bit harder for front-line workers, which could be great news if you’re looking for your next job in this space.
**Inspired to look for work at Walmart? Take a look at their popular jobs and apply here. **
Want to learn how to apply first? Read on here to discover application tips for Walmart jobs
Comments
Yes they raised ppls pay in the deli if you wuz making 14.50 a hour they raised those ppl to 15 regardless of how many years you worked so a worker been in the deli 15 years is now making what a new hire is (sounds great doesn't it) and that employee that only got a .50 cent raise has lost the quarterly bonus .50 x 40hrs = 20 dollars a week x 52 weeks =1040 dollars. the quarterly bonus is more than that so Wal Mart screwed there employees out of a few hundred a year Wal Mart didn't help there employees out they screwed them over making it sound like they helped them out
I work for walmart. 13 1/2 years. Don't believe this bullshit. They give you something halfway decent and take 2 or 3 things away from you!! These raises are going to cause good people to loose there jobs! We have already lost a few. Walmart is only looking out for their investers!!!! We are expendable!! Think twice about getting a job at wally world!!! Just talk to the employees that work there.
Target has you bet.
It's about time, You treat your employees like blank. Live on their 11,00an hour.You got caught that's why you're doing it. Before other companies. Target is a store any way.
Hilarious, first and foremost it’s not all employees. Secondly, they should be increasing wage simply cause there was little to no competition due to many stores closing because of this political coronavirus. They were one of the few go to places. The shoe company I work for blew all of last years comps out of the water cause we are one of the few standing. We have less competition so we are setting sales records.
It is a job...Walmart is very different these days in trying to keep ahead of the game. In doing so alot of good hard workers were let go or demoted because of so many chiefs and not enough Indians...including mgmt. It is fast paced and moves you all around the store. There are so many stories. Like I said It is a job and good luck on that $15.00.
Why do the cashiers not receive a raise in pau? We are the ones who have to deal with the customers face to face and put up with their rude comments, get cussed at,sometimes threatened and just plainly ASSANINE PEOPLE? ARE WE NOT IMPORANT OR ESSENTIAL WORKERS?
WalMart is one of the most disloyal companies to work for. Yearly bonuses, that's a lie. Kind of hard to hand out bonuses when you have store managers sticking all of those bonus checks in their pockets. WallyWorld has a habit of terminating employees' under false circumstances. Then when they are confronted with the actual facts and eyewitness of their wrongdoings, they don't do a thing to rectify their mistakes. AVOID WALLYWORLD AT ALL COSTS IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR EMPLOYMENT.
The wage increases to $15 an hour from $11 is only for a very few employees, in their fresh food and produce depts, and some team leaders. Cashiers, warehouse, stockers, cleaners etc, the majority of the store employees are not included in the $15 an hour pay scale. While many of the Walton family members are muktimillionaires, billionaires thanks to the hard work of thousands of poorly paid employees
Walmart only paying bonuses to team leads coaches and managers only