Walmart is a huge retail business chain, currently supporting a vast group of people as employees. Its 24/7 service facility stands out among many other supermarket chains. With such extensive service, naturally, anyone can expect a fair share of setbacks, especially in the current situation when the pandemic continues to haunt everyone around.
Calling in sick to work is a common occurrence nowadays, and in a place like Walmart, it is quite frequent, which is why every employee needs to be aware of the standard procedure they must follow.
The Procedure For Calling In Sick At Walmart
As mentioned above, there is a standard procedure an employee must follow to call in sick for work. It is listed as follows:
- An employee is required to inform the store at least three hours before their absence.
- The contact/ phone number they should use in such circumstances is 1-800-775-5944.
- After the call, the employee will have to provide their WIN number, store number, and date of birth.
- Lastly, they will receive a confirmation number, and it will be quoted as such to the store manager.
What Happens If This Procedure Isn’t Followed?
If an employee fails to follow the above instructions, he will be issued a warning point.
A warning point can result in suspension or even termination of an employee.
For a newly appointed person, the consequences are applied with five points. While for somebody who has been working for more than six months, the limit lies at nine points.
Regardless, the warning points cause a bad impression and can make them lose their annual bonus or other such incentives.
Is There A Specific Time Frame To Inform The Store?
Yes, there is a specific time frame within which an employee is required to make a call.
Besides informing three hours before the shift, they are supposed to call between 8 am to 5 pm.
But since there is no specific time to feel blue, they can also inform the store manager at their earliest.
Again, if they cannot inform the store manager, they can always file for leave online.
How To Apply For Leave Online?
Every employee working at Walmart is already aware of their online platform. In the opposite case, they should open up the Walmart website. Log in to their respective Walmart account and select report absence. They will be asked to put in their WIN (Walmart identification number), store number, and date of birth.
After this process, they will be asked to list their symptoms and other extra information.
So, if an employee cannot inform between 8 am to 5 pm, they can always do so online.
Who Is Responsible For Absence Calls?
The store manager is responsible for attending such calls and appointing an alternative for the sick employee. So, contacting the store manager is also inevitable. The call is forwarded to the managers, but if an employee has the manager’s number, they can inform them beforehand.
Does Walmart Allow Intermittent Leave?
Yes, Walmart allows intermittent leave. So, if an employee suffers from a prolonged illness or any other drastic situation, they can apply for intermittent leave. It will enable Walmart to handle the situation accordingly and get someone to cover the sick employee’s shifts.
Will the Employee Be Paid During a Leave?
Yes, Walmart follows the PSL (paid sick leave) policy.
According to the law, those employees can take advantage of this who suffer from an illness or injury, making it difficult to work on the floor.
PSL law is currently in use in many states of America, such as New York, Arizona, Maryland, Rhode Island, Texas, New Jersey, Washington, Massachusetts, and California.
How Many Sick Days Can Walmart Employees Have?
This is different for hourly associates and salaried ones. Let’s discuss the details for a salaried employee first:
Salaried Employees
If an employee is salary-based, then the days are according to the years of service. The store offers three types of schedules for salaried associates.
An employee working for five days a week gets 21 PTO or paid time off. Similarly, if they work for four days, then PTO is for 17 days, and if they work for three days in a week, then PTO is for 13 days.
Hourly Associates
The PTO again depends on the years of service or hours of service for hourly associates. For an employee who has worked at least one year, the PTO is issued at 72 hours.
But this too depends upon the hours of service they have invested at Walmart. Such details can differ from state to state or store to store, so it is best to confirm from the HR team.
What is Protected PTO?
Protected PTO is similar to PTO, but it requires a minimum of 30 hours in action. The process for this is slower than PTO. PTO or protected PTO can be carried out for hourly employees by the end of the plan year. How much they can cash out depends upon the amount accumulated.
Can An Employee Inform a Co-Worker In Case of Sickness?
Unfortunately, informing the co-worker in case of sickness for a leave is not permissible. The employee can do this, but it won’t be counted as leave, resulting in a warning point.
While there is no ignoring that sickness doesn’t come knocking on the door or at a certain time, every company or corporation has certain rules and regulations. Walmart is the same; if it’s a high-level emergency, the employee is allowed to inform the store manager.
Walmart also treats its workers fairly by giving them chances, so if an employee’s situation is genuine, they can expect full cooperation from the store they are working at. However, it is still best to follow the standard procedures mentioned above as soon as the employee can.
What Happens if The Three-Hour Window Isn’t Met?
If the said employee cannot meet the three-hour window placed by Walmart, they are required to inform their manager as early as possible.
But in case there is an absolute emergency, and the employee cancels shift last minute, then Walmart will cooperate as long as this behavior doesn’t repeat frequently.
In other words, real emergencies will be treated fairly, but tardiness is not accepted at all.
Summing It Up!
So, in case of illness, injury, or other such emergencies, an employee of Walmart is required first to call the hotline number. They will be asked for some information like WIN (Walmart identification number) given to every Walmart employee, their store number, and their date of birth. After this, they will be issued a confirmation number, and the call will be forwarded to the store manager. The store manager will ask for the confirmation number and take in the notice.
This procedure is applicable between 8 am to 5 pm.
If the employee cannot ask for a leave on the number mentioned above, they must visit the Walmart website and apply for a leave there.
If an employee cannot inform through either of the methods, they must call the store manager at their earliest.
If either of the above isn’t possible, Walmart will look at the employee’s history. If it is suitable according to their policies, the employee will receive full cooperation and fair treatment from the staff.
So, in a nutshell, be a good employee, work hard, follow all the rules and regulations, and Walmart will reward accordingly in case of a hard time!