Walmart is revamping its time-off policy and handing out bonuses to employees with great attendance
- Walmart is restructuring its paid-time-off policy.
- Employees with good attendance records will now receive quarterly bonuses.
- Walmart also established six days of "protected PTO" for employees.
Walmart's paid-time-off policy is getting a major overhaul.
Under the new system, employees will get six days of "protected PTO" for emergencies and illnesses every year, according to CNN. Every six months, employees will also accrue a pool of five days to use for unexpected absences.
Walmart's previous time-off policy allowed employees to miss up to nine days every six months. Worker advocacy group A Better Balance blasted this system in 2017, saying that it punished workers dealing with illnesses and sick family members. A Better Balance also alleged that Walmart was violating the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
The revamped system will give employees with good attendance the opportunity to earn some extra cash. Bonuses will be calculated based on employees' salaries; CNN reported that an entry-level worker with a $11 hourly wage could make $550 at the end of a quarter, for instance.
Taking the six days of "protected PTO" won't cut employees out of the running for the quarterly bonus. But using any of the five days of time off granted every six months will cause associates to lose out on the extra money.
Walmart told CNN that 300,000 associates currently qualify for attendance bonuses. The company did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
United for Respect, a non-profit organization focused on improving conditions for low-income retail workers, weighed in on the news in a press release. While the organization praised the establishment of "protected PTO" apart from vacation time, it also criticized the move for encouraging sick employees to call into work.
"We've been calling on Walmart to publicly commit to a healthy sick time policy that allows us to take care of ourselves and our families," North Carolina-based Walmart employee and OUR Walmart leader Shashauna Phillips said in a statement. "Walmart is responding to our call for change with a new policy. But what they are giving with one hand, they are taking with the other - the corporation still doesn't accept doctor's notes and is even encouraging associates to come to work when they're sick with a new bonus plan."