Walmart touts $1,000 cash bonus for employees - but there's a catch

Hayley Peterson

Jan 12, 2018, 22:32 IST

Walmart touts $1,000 cash bonus for employees - but there's a catch

Walmart employees must have 20 years of employment with the company to get the full $1,000 cash bonus.

Walmart said Thursday that it's giving employees a one-time cash bonus of up to $1,000.
Only employees with 20 or more years of Walmart employment will get the full $1,000.
In a memo of talking points regarding the pay and benefit changes, Walmart instructed supervisors to describe the changes to employees as a "big, exciting deal."

Walmart said Thursday that it's raising starting wages for hourly employees to $11 and offering a one-time cash bonus of up to $1,000.

The bonus will only go to employees who are not impacted by the wage increases - meaning they already earn more than $11 per hour.

Among that group of employees, only those who have worked for Walmart for 20 years or more will get the full $1,000, Walmart told Business Insider.

Here's how the bonus payout breaks down:

$200: Less than 2 years of Walmart employment
$250: 2-4 years of Walmart employment
$300: 5-9 years of Walmart employment
$400: 10-14 years of Walmart employment
$750: 15-19 years of Walmart employment
$1,000: 20 years or more of Walmart employment

The bonus will be included in employees' paychecks in March, according to a copy of a Walmart memo posted to Reddit.

Walmart verified the facts in the memo to Business Insider.

Walmart also said Thursday that it was expanding maternity and parental-leave benefits, as well as creating a new benefit to assist with adoption expenses.

The company announced the pay increases and bonuses on the same day that it revealed it was closing 63 Sam's Club stores.

More than 11,000 employees are expected to lose their jobs as a result of the closures. Each Sam's Club store employs about 175 people, according to Walmart.

The company said late Thursday that fired employees would still be eligible for the cash bonus.

In the memo of talking points regarding the pay and benefit changes, Walmart instructed supervisors to describe the changes to employees as a "big, exciting deal."

"This is a big moment for Walmart!" the memo reads. "We work for an amazing company that is giving back to you who work every day to make a difference for our stores and our customers."

"Please add your personal comments and style to this conversation," the memo adds.

The Reddit user who posted the memo did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.