Walmart Pays Out $180M in Early Associate Bonuses

As it continues to respond to the coronavirus pandemic, Walmart revealed a couple of milestones regarding its commitment to associates “providing a vital service to communities during this time,” as Donna Morris, the mega-retailer’s chief people officer, noted in a recent post on its corporate website. 

First, having pledged to accelerate the payout for its quarterly incentive, the company has paid out almost $180 million in cash to hourly associates, with more to come in May on Walmart’s originally scheduled quarterly bonus payout date. “This is in addition to the special cash bonus for all U.S. hourly associates earlier [in April], which was $300 for full-time hourly and $150 for part-time hourly, a total of more than $365 million paid to our associates,” wrote Morris of the April 30 payout.

Further, the company has met its goal of hiring 200,000 associates across its stores, clubs, distribution centers and fulfillment centers, since March 19. “We are humbled to be able to give an opportunity to so many Americans to work, often serving as a bridge for employment, while helping Walmart better serve customers during this time of increased demand,” observed Morris.

She added: “Our focus on our associates’ health and safety continues. We’re conducting health screens and daily temperature checks and providing masks and gloves to all associates. We’ve also added sneeze guards at registers, limited the number of customers in stores, installed social-distancing signage and instituted sanitation protocols.”

Walmart Inc. operates about 11,500 stores under 56 banners in 27 countries, and ecommerce websites, employing more than 2.2 million associates worldwide. The Bentonville, Ark.-based mega-retailer is No. 1 on Progressive Grocer’s 2019 Super 50 list of the top grocers in the United States.