Slashdot Mirror
Hundreds of Walmart Employees Say They've Been Punished For Taking Sick Days (vice.com)
A new report from the workers advocacy group A Better Balance alleges that Walmart consistently punishes employees for taking sick days, even if they have proper documentation from doctors. From a report: A Better Balance interviewed and surveyed more than 1,000 Walmart workers about the company's absence control program -- which awards disciplinary "points" for absences regardless of reason -- and found the retail giant to be in violation of multiple laws. "Giving a worker a disciplinary 'point' for being absent due to a disability or for taking care of themselves or a loved one with a serious medical condition is not only unfair," the report reads, "in many instances, it runs afoul of federal, state, and local laws." Walmart spokesman Randy Hargrove told the Times that the allegations are false, and that the company "understand[s] that associates may have to miss work on occasion," and that they "have processes in place to assist them." The report's worker testimonials say differently. "I came down with a stomach flu and I had to call in due to vomiting and high fever and got a point cause of being sick," recalls an Illinois employee named Veronica. "I hate the fact we got to worry about getting fired cause we caught the flu."
they will point you no matter the reason then if they dont like you they will try to add on points for no reason i rember in my entire stay there i missed 1 day and they tried to say i had 6 points. they also play favrets to people who kiss there ass vs those that do not. just me if that company can brake a labor law they do.
I worked at Stream International (outsourcing call center) about 10 years ago and you got 8 points. At 0 points they fired you. You lost points for being late, leaving early - stuff like that.
1 point per sick day - unless you had a doctors note, but 10 bucks an hour you didn't have health insurance so typically you worked sick, and you only visited the doctor if you were on deaths door.
Even after they had a tuberculosis outbreak (no I'm not kidding - the CDC got involved and required everyone to be screened) they didn't abandon this system.
My work started doing this recently. Not all that happy about it. To make matters worse, the implemented it retroactively 2 years before the program actually existed, so I'm already half way through the program. They call it "Non-disciplinary", however if you advance into the program too far you can be let go, which sounds pretty disciplinary to me. I believe I effectively do not have any sick days anymore, I'll just go to work sick from now on, unless I get hit by a bus or something, at which point work will probably be the least of my worries.
I expect it is a bargaining ploy to the Union. i.e. "You wanna get rid of it? How about those pensions?"
Though Walmart doesn't even have that I suppose.
I honestly thought this was more normal. I'm not saying it's right. However, I've worked at a software company that had a points-based attendance policy and they actually denied me a raise one year because I called off for illness a few times. It was the worst kind of phone support job and I was a lot younger but I didn't think this was unusual. I definitely thought it was unethical, though. Also stupid, as it encouraged sick people to come in and get everyone else sick, which happened all the time.
If your business is earning a profit you do.
Being fired isn't a penalty? Because the article mentions being fired for having too many points.
But hey, since you want more details, here's how Wal-Mart's point system works (or worked about a year ago when I was dating a woman who worked for them):
If you call in at least an hour in advance...
working less than half a shift is a 1 point.
working less than a full shift but more than half is 1/2 point.
If you don't call in at least an hour in advance, being absent is 4 points.
For the first 6 months, employees are fired if they gain 4 points.
After 6 months, they're fired at 9 points in any 6 month rolling period.
Even before you reach the 4/9 point limit, however, they can assign you "coaching", which is basically a disciplinary writeup by another name. It stays in your record and can be used to justify reducing your hours, denying raises, denying promotions, etc.
No you don't. He said Europe but meant a specific country which I can tell you is at least not Germany because in Germany you usually only require a doctor's note if you're sick more than three days in a row. In the IT sector at least, which is where I worked when in Germany. And yes obviously people could start abusing it but that's easily visible and HR can take action then. Frees everybody else from bullshitting and getting each other sick. Sick days are also unlimited.
I got gastro in week two of my employment in Germany and I went to the doctor first thing in the morning (not walk in clinic or hospital just the doctor I had selected to be my GP because he was 5 min from my apartment) and got a note for 5 days. Was sick for a day or two here and there without a note required later that year and got a 10% raise that year.
Not every country is as crazy as the US.
Did I mention Walmart tried to get a hold in Germany? The bailed out. Their US labour tactics didn't fly and they can't operate unless they severely exploit their workers.