Walmart launching annual bonus program for hourly workers
Walmart is offering new perks for its hourly employees, ranging from training for skilled trade jobs to a bonus plan.
The retail giant and country’s largest private employers said it will pay annual bonuses to its full- and part-time hourly workers in stores, including hourly associates in the pharmacy and optical departments. Employees must be employed with the company for one year to be eligible. About 700,000 Walmart employees will be eligible for the bonus, based on the employee’s store’s performance and years of employment.
“The longer an hourly store associate stays with the company, the higher their bonus potential, up to $1,000 a year,” John Furner, president and CEO, Walmart U.S., and Lo Stomski, senior VP, chief talent officer, wrote in a blog on the company’s website.
In January, Walmart raised the annual average salary and bonus of its store managers.
In addition, as the country continues to face a shortage of skilled trade workers, Walmart is launching the “Associate to Technician” program, a new initiative to help address the shortage and create new career opportunities at Walmart. The program, part of the Walmart Academy, provides front-line employees with the training and pathways to move into higher-paying technician jobs in Walmart stores and supply chain facilities.
The company is piloting the program with 100 employees in the Dallas-Fort Worth area that will help hourly store and supply chain associates move into facilities maintenance, refrigeration and HVAC, reliability and automation technician roles. The jobs make between $19 and $45 an hour and offer opportunities to build a meaningful career while meeting a business need for the company, Walmart said.
Walmart is also doubling the number of skills certificates available through the company-paid Live Better U (LBU) benefit. The certificates will help fast-track front-line associates into the 100,000 higher-paying and in-demand jobs at Walmart over the next three years.
“Our goal is to fast-track front-line associates into approximately 100,000 jobs that are higher-paying and in-demand for our business over the next three years,” stated Furner and Stomski. “Certificates are targeted to those jobs, including salaried and hourly leadership roles in our stores, clubs and supply chain facilities – the backbone of our company – as well as roles like pharmacy technicians, opticians and software engineers in growing parts of our business.
Walmart is also offering a new feature in the Me@Walmart app that gives store employees the opportunity to quickly and easily see their pay, 401k, associate Stock purchase plan, benefits and more.
"These investments are all part of our people-led, tech-powered commitment to Walmart associates," Walmart said. "We believe in them and their potential. We know that when they’re given the right tools, opportunities for growth and investments in their personal well-being, they can accomplish more than they imagined personally and professionally."