Walmart treats employees like children archived
Nov 1, 2006 at 1:35pm
I know. How selfish of them to expect adults to behave like adults.
Yeah geez - there are a lot of things to get Wal-Mart on but this isn't one of them.
I agree, there are things they do that I don't support but a lot of this seems like general smart HR practices that aren't unusual or unfair workplace policies. And, for what it's worth, I've only ever had two jobs where I would rack up demerits (and be docked pay) for being as little as five minutes late and they were both union jobs.
Wal-Mart is a huge union-busting company - I would never shop there - so you save maybe $10? Meanwhile, they exploit their workers by keeping a staff of just under full-time workers - most of their stock is non-union and made in countries that are not known for fair wages or labor practices.
I have looked at the Wal-Mart on Rt. 22 a few times - it was messy, most of the items for sale were non-necessary items that were "cheap" but only a little less expensive than Scribners - much junkier, plus no gift-wrapping.
If we're truly a global economy - than a 10-year-old in China should merit the same dignity that a 10-year-old in the USA does.
I don't shop in stores that use sweatshops, but I do donate money to efforts that give money to eradicate sweatshops.
Shun Wal-Mart - buy locally and give globally.
I have looked at the Wal-Mart on Rt. 22 a few times - it was messy, most of the items for sale were non-necessary items that were "cheap" but only a little less expensive than Scribners - much junkier, plus no gift-wrapping.
If we're truly a global economy - than a 10-year-old in China should merit the same dignity that a 10-year-old in the USA does.
I don't shop in stores that use sweatshops, but I do donate money to efforts that give money to eradicate sweatshops.
Shun Wal-Mart - buy locally and give globally.
I'm sorry, but I don't plan an hour ahead to be late to work. Sometimes, on your way to work, you realize the roads are just worse than you had counted on. This is just a horrible way to treat employees. I've had two union jobs, neither one gave me "demerits" for being late. Of course, I wasn't a habitual offender, but that is another issue entirely.
Years ago, my cousin worked at a video store. One day, after a pretty bad snow storm, her friend (who was also a manager) called that he couldn't make it in, the roads were too bad. They said he had an obligation to come in. He did, getting into an accident on the way. He was uninjured, but quit that night. These stores (big and small) have lost sight of the big picture. If you're a doctor, police officer, etc.. then yes, you do have to find a way in, but they'll also understand a delay in you getting there so you can do it in one piece. But this is retail!!!! Who's life is on the line just because someone can't buy that tacky pair of polyester sweat-shop made pants?
Years ago, my cousin worked at a video store. One day, after a pretty bad snow storm, her friend (who was also a manager) called that he couldn't make it in, the roads were too bad. They said he had an obligation to come in. He did, getting into an accident on the way. He was uninjured, but quit that night. These stores (big and small) have lost sight of the big picture. If you're a doctor, police officer, etc.. then yes, you do have to find a way in, but they'll also understand a delay in you getting there so you can do it in one piece. But this is retail!!!! Who's life is on the line just because someone can't buy that tacky pair of polyester sweat-shop made pants?
Lydia,
I'm happy for you that you don't need to save $10.00 but for those who want to, Wal-Mart is a great place to shop. I mostly buy groceries at Super Wal-Mart (not meat). They are much cheaper on name brand goods. For example, when Bryer's ice cream is over 5.00 per 1/2 gallon, Wal-Mart sells it for 2.68. To me, that's an exceptional price.
I don't particularly care for their policies either, but price is price.
I'm happy for you that you don't need to save $10.00 but for those who want to, Wal-Mart is a great place to shop. I mostly buy groceries at Super Wal-Mart (not meat). They are much cheaper on name brand goods. For example, when Bryer's ice cream is over 5.00 per 1/2 gallon, Wal-Mart sells it for 2.68. To me, that's an exceptional price.
I don't particularly care for their policies either, but price is price.
all i know is my husband came back from there the other day in shock over how everything was out of place and all over the floor and i have to say that is the image i have in my mind.....so, someone is feeling jilted....westside, when i was younger, my job was union and they docked every 7 minutes, the reality is, its that person you probably hate that will eventually have the power to fire your ---, so, suck it up, get an education so you can start your own thing.....i always hated the pressure of "that 10 minutes"-lifes too short. cfa-breyers was just on sale for about that and quite often is all over....when its 500, i know its time to have some fruit:wink:......westside, i hope you are not in charge of organizing "clothes" over there,!@#%^&
spontaneous, I had a boss that tried to pull the same thing on me. I told her I couldn't come in the roads were too bad. I had just taken my son to the doctor, and on my way home the snow started. The roads were so bad I was sliding all over the place and barely made it home. She told me I had to come in. I told her, no. It amazes me bosses think putting someone's life in danger is the right thing to do.
My last union job also allowed for only a thirty minute meal break in an 8 hour work day, even though moving yourself from the work area to the staff break area could take 5 - 10 minutes on its own, and you'd better bring your own food because the closest deli was a 5 minute drive each way, so it was really easy to burn through your meal time without actually consuming any food. I'm pro-union and think many workplaces would benefit from the protections they offer, but their presence doesn't guarantee policies that make good common sense.
As for calling the 800 number and then calling your manager, I wonder if this isn't a way to ensure that employees are getting more consistent treatment which in the end would actually be more fair than the current system. By leaving permission up to individual managers, some employees may have no problem getting the permission they need while others are told they have to come in no matter what. I don't know what employees are told when they call this 800 number, but I remember being near a manager at Target once who was on the phone telling an employee to spend ten more minutes trying to find someone to watch her child for the day and then call back again if she wasn't successful -- seems hard to believe that's the answer the 800 # operators will be trained to give.
As for calling the 800 number and then calling your manager, I wonder if this isn't a way to ensure that employees are getting more consistent treatment which in the end would actually be more fair than the current system. By leaving permission up to individual managers, some employees may have no problem getting the permission they need while others are told they have to come in no matter what. I don't know what employees are told when they call this 800 number, but I remember being near a manager at Target once who was on the phone telling an employee to spend ten more minutes trying to find someone to watch her child for the day and then call back again if she wasn't successful -- seems hard to believe that's the answer the 800 # operators will be trained to give.
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of course these Walmart employees all get the best of benefits, salary and healthcare too right?
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People deserve to be treated like they are human beings. If I cant get to work on time, then I call my boss when I can and make sure that when I get to work I get my work done. If I have to leave early, then I tell my boss that as well. If I need to take an extra 1/2 hour for lunch then that is also not a problem. As long as the workers are consciencious about their jobs then treating them humanely is the way to go.
of course these Walmart employees all get the best of benefits, salary and healthcare too right?
[/sarcasm]
People deserve to be treated like they are human beings. If I cant get to work on time, then I call my boss when I can and make sure that when I get to work I get my work done. If I have to leave early, then I tell my boss that as well. If I need to take an extra 1/2 hour for lunch then that is also not a problem. As long as the workers are consciencious about their jobs then treating them humanely is the way to go.
I worked for UPS for a little over 12 years. You want to talk about companies with no regard for the safety of their workers? They are one of the worst. I could spend hours providing horror stories about their practices, but the one most relevant to this thread is that among the many mantras management used regularly was "weather isn't a factor" as a response to drivers who explained that they were late returning from their routes because of snow, ice, heavy downpours, etc.
Gosh, if things are so bad at Walmart howcome they get multiple applicatants for every job opening?
The sad facts are:
First, at many of their stores the pay is better than at locally owned businesses who provide even less benefits than Walmart.
Second, the unions are behind most of the bad publicity Walmart is getting in the press, and on MOL!
The sad fact, and I don't think it bodes well for our future as a cohesive country, is that jobs such as those at Walmart are the trend for the future.
Yeah, I know I am sending mixed messages here. However, there are a lot of working class families who are better off because Walmart makes part time, and mostly flexible hours, jobs available to many people.
The sad facts are:
First, at many of their stores the pay is better than at locally owned businesses who provide even less benefits than Walmart.
Second, the unions are behind most of the bad publicity Walmart is getting in the press, and on MOL!
The sad fact, and I don't think it bodes well for our future as a cohesive country, is that jobs such as those at Walmart are the trend for the future.
Yeah, I know I am sending mixed messages here. However, there are a lot of working class families who are better off because Walmart makes part time, and mostly flexible hours, jobs available to many people.
Hoops, the jobs being discussed are not exactly desk jobs. if there are customers waiting for a checkout clerk, it's not feasible to "make sure that when [they] get to work [they] get [their] work done."
I don't see the horror of having to call in about missing a day of work. And with the thousands of stores that Walmart has, doing this is probably better for most employees. As BlueEyedMe says, it probably leads to a more even treatment. I would guess the 800# is simply an automated system, but even if it's not, it eliminates the favoritism (or punishment) that might occur in a less objective process.
Walmart has some pretty bad personnel practices. I don't really see this as one of them.
I don't see the horror of having to call in about missing a day of work. And with the thousands of stores that Walmart has, doing this is probably better for most employees. As BlueEyedMe says, it probably leads to a more even treatment. I would guess the 800# is simply an automated system, but even if it's not, it eliminates the favoritism (or punishment) that might occur in a less objective process.
Walmart has some pretty bad personnel practices. I don't really see this as one of them.
westside posted the article and this quote
[quote]"At Wal-Mart these days, snowy weather is no longer an excuse for lateness. It had better be a natural disaster like a hurricane or blizzard. And being 10 minutes or more tardy for work three times will earn you a demerit. Too many of those could get you fired."[/quote]
Most employees are going to get to Walmart on time on most days. What I think I see here are union rules without union protections. I am not discounting calling in to say you will be late or calling in to say you are going to miss work. I made it pretty clear that calling in to your boss was appropriate. In this case employees must call an automated 800 number and [b]then[/b] also call their boss with the confirmation number they received. If this is for lateness and you are stuck on the 22 in traffic you get no slack, the call has to have been made from inside your car. I dont see this as a worker friendly practice.
[quote]"At Wal-Mart these days, snowy weather is no longer an excuse for lateness. It had better be a natural disaster like a hurricane or blizzard. And being 10 minutes or more tardy for work three times will earn you a demerit. Too many of those could get you fired."[/quote]
Most employees are going to get to Walmart on time on most days. What I think I see here are union rules without union protections. I am not discounting calling in to say you will be late or calling in to say you are going to miss work. I made it pretty clear that calling in to your boss was appropriate. In this case employees must call an automated 800 number and [b]then[/b] also call their boss with the confirmation number they received. If this is for lateness and you are stuck on the 22 in traffic you get no slack, the call has to have been made from inside your car. I dont see this as a worker friendly practice.
Nov 2, 2006 at 4:17am Edited
I agree with rastro, there's far less flexibility and leniency available in retail, particularly in these big stores. For better or worse, Walmart has 1.8 MILLION employees -- hardly the place to employ lots of subjective scheduling practices and accomodations based on individual manager decisions (and moods). I mean sure, a manager could tell ten employees that if they need an extra half hour for lunch then that's fine, but then they become the mean, evil store that made ten OTHER employees work an extra half hour past their shift end or into their own lunch hour in order to maintain coverage at the registers or on the floor.
As for making two phone calls when you're going to be sick or absent, I don't see that as a hardship either. Many people in different fields have two supervisors to call, or they have to call their immediate supervisor and an HR department, or they have to keep calling around the entire department until they reach a live person so they know they haven't been leaving messages for other people who also called out that day. Perhaps there's some automated system walmart could establish where the manager gets regular updates about who has contacted the 800#, but in the mean time making two phone calls doesn't seem like an unfair burden.
As for making two phone calls when you're going to be sick or absent, I don't see that as a hardship either. Many people in different fields have two supervisors to call, or they have to call their immediate supervisor and an HR department, or they have to keep calling around the entire department until they reach a live person so they know they haven't been leaving messages for other people who also called out that day. Perhaps there's some automated system walmart could establish where the manager gets regular updates about who has contacted the 800#, but in the mean time making two phone calls doesn't seem like an unfair burden.
"employees must call an 800 number to report all absences and tardiness by an hour before the scheduled start time."
How many people here routinely know that they will be late at least an hour ahead of the time they are scheduled to start???
I have been several minues late for my 8 a.m. start time reasons like the following: 1) There was an accident that tied up traffic, 2) The bridge into Jersey City was lifted to let a large boat pass and 3) I got into my car and it wouldn't start. Is there any way that I could have called my employer at 6:55 a.m. to report that these things were about to happen? This part of the policy strikes me as asinine.
How many people here routinely know that they will be late at least an hour ahead of the time they are scheduled to start???
I have been several minues late for my 8 a.m. start time reasons like the following: 1) There was an accident that tied up traffic, 2) The bridge into Jersey City was lifted to let a large boat pass and 3) I got into my car and it wouldn't start. Is there any way that I could have called my employer at 6:55 a.m. to report that these things were about to happen? This part of the policy strikes me as asinine.
none of this really matters, since Wal-Mart's latest strategic initiative is to move to a part-time workforce and make it much more difficult for a person to be a full-time employee. The company's ability to fire people at will is going to be greater, as the workforce will be part-time.
Wal-Mart can also try to lock people in overnight, as it did with cleaning crews at stores in a couple of southern states in the past several years.
It's taken the country less than 70 years to move back to the "sweat shop" atmosphere that unions tried so hard to abolish in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. Congratulations, corporate America.
Wal-Mart can also try to lock people in overnight, as it did with cleaning crews at stores in a couple of southern states in the past several years.
It's taken the country less than 70 years to move back to the "sweat shop" atmosphere that unions tried so hard to abolish in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. Congratulations, corporate America.
Innesowen -
"It's taken the country less than 70 years to move back to the "sweat shop" atmosphere that unions tried so hard to abolish in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. Congratulations, corporate America."
Yep. "Nickel and Dimed" by Barbara Ehrinreich is a good book that clarifies how stores like Wal-Mart treat their employees with little regard for their employees' dignity or living wages. "Fast Food Nation" - while not specifically about Wal-Mart is another book that made me reconsider where I want my dollars to go.
I also don't really think people save money shopping in the big box stores. One or two impulse items blows all the savings away. Costco is the same way, if I stick to my list and only buy necessity items in bulk I can save $, but every time I shop at Costco I end up buying something I hadn't planned on - cookies, shrimp, hardcover books, etc.
"It's taken the country less than 70 years to move back to the "sweat shop" atmosphere that unions tried so hard to abolish in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. Congratulations, corporate America."
Yep. "Nickel and Dimed" by Barbara Ehrinreich is a good book that clarifies how stores like Wal-Mart treat their employees with little regard for their employees' dignity or living wages. "Fast Food Nation" - while not specifically about Wal-Mart is another book that made me reconsider where I want my dollars to go.
I also don't really think people save money shopping in the big box stores. One or two impulse items blows all the savings away. Costco is the same way, if I stick to my list and only buy necessity items in bulk I can save $, but every time I shop at Costco I end up buying something I hadn't planned on - cookies, shrimp, hardcover books, etc.
Boring. It wont lose any illegals their jobs because they wont be getting any snowy weather...soo yeah...snoozefest
huh? Who said anything about illegals losing jobs? And why would they have different weather?
Face it. Unions are on there last legs. It's a bad time to be a commie in America. Enjoy your enclaves of socialism because Wal-Mart is single handedly redefining corporate America and I love it.
You think it's a bad joke, Tom?
Wait 'til you see what comes down in the next year. Target is already gearing up for the prescription drug battle with WalMart. This, I think, is going to be very good for a lot of people in this country.
Wait 'til you see what comes down in the next year. Target is already gearing up for the prescription drug battle with WalMart. This, I think, is going to be very good for a lot of people in this country.
When was it a good time to be a "commie" in America? Where are these enclaves of socialism"? What you "Conservatives" don't understand it that harsh management is what pushes workers to the left. "Liberals" know that the best way to prevent socialism is by throwing a few crumbs to the workers.
Anyway, having said that, what's so hard about getting to work on time and calling if you are going to be late. OK, saying you "must call at least an hour before" is a little silly since you cannot always anticipate being late, but they must have to make allowances for that.
If your kid is going to be late for school or absent you have to call. If a kid shows up late for school isn't he "punished" in some way? Is this what the original poster meant by treating "employees like children"? But the reason we insist on kids being on time for school is to "treat kids like adults", by teaching them to be responsible.
If you owned your own small retail business and posted opening hours what trouble would you go to in order to make sure that you were on time to open every morning?
Walmart or any other employee should pay its workers decently, give them benefits and a safe and healthy environment, but they certainly have a right to insist that the workers show up on time.
Speaking about "commies" and work rules, thirty years ago I saw a sign on a bank teller's window in Lisbon. At the time the Portuguese bank tellers union was a Communist Party union! The sign said:
" A lazy worker is like a Capitalist, because a lazy worker exploits other workers."
Anyway, having said that, what's so hard about getting to work on time and calling if you are going to be late. OK, saying you "must call at least an hour before" is a little silly since you cannot always anticipate being late, but they must have to make allowances for that.
If your kid is going to be late for school or absent you have to call. If a kid shows up late for school isn't he "punished" in some way? Is this what the original poster meant by treating "employees like children"? But the reason we insist on kids being on time for school is to "treat kids like adults", by teaching them to be responsible.
If you owned your own small retail business and posted opening hours what trouble would you go to in order to make sure that you were on time to open every morning?
Walmart or any other employee should pay its workers decently, give them benefits and a safe and healthy environment, but they certainly have a right to insist that the workers show up on time.
Speaking about "commies" and work rules, thirty years ago I saw a sign on a bank teller's window in Lisbon. At the time the Portuguese bank tellers union was a Communist Party union! The sign said:
" A lazy worker is like a Capitalist, because a lazy worker exploits other workers."
You can not reply as this discussion is Closed!
"At Wal-Mart these days, snowy weather is no longer an excuse for lateness. It had better be a natural disaster like a hurricane or blizzard. And being 10 minutes or more tardy for work three times will earn you a demerit. Too many of those could get you fired."
"Documents furnished to The Associated Press by union-backed WakeUpWalmart.com show that employees must call an 800 number to report all absences and tardiness by an hour before the scheduled start time. They also have to call their manager with the confirmation code they received when calling the hot line number. In the past, employees got permission directly from their store managers."
If there is a store begging for a union, it is Walmart.