Alfdog

Critics Call Policy Too Rigid

POSTED: 6:33 am PST November 2, 2006

NEW YORK -- 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

It's all part of a revised attendance policy implemented earlier this fall that makes Wal-Mart Stores Inc. hourly workers more accountable for excessive unexcused absences and formalizes such penalties.

The new rules already are drawing fire from critics who claim they are the latest attempt by the nation's largest private employer to weed out unhealthy and costly long-term workers as it seeks to cut labor costs.

John Simley, spokesman for Wal-Mart, calls the charges by labor-backed groups "invalid" and said the changes are an enhancement of the company's prior policy.

"We are formalizing and enforcing the policy to ensure greater consistency and to minimize subjectivity," he said.

"It is designed to produce a better work environment and a better shopping environment. The result is better communication and a better shopping experience," he said.

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.

"After a year of adopting antifamily policy after antifamily policy, Wal-Mart adds further insult to injury by adopting a new restrictive attendance policy that treats hard-working associates like children while penalizing them if, God forbid, they face a child or friend with a medical emergency," said Chris Kofinis, a spokesman at WakeUpWalmart.com.

The group is set to hold its first-ever national conference call with Wal-Mart employees and civil rights leaders Thursday to discuss the latest move as well as other recent labor changes.

In September, Wal-Mart said it will stop offering traditional low-deductible health plans for new hires next year in favor of low-premium plans with higher deductibles. Wal-Mart has maintained that the move will put more health care money and choices in the hands of its more than 1.3 million U.S. workers, but union-backed Wal-Mart critics claim it is pushing the rising costs of health care onto its workers.

Wal-Mart has also received heat from critics for implementing caps on its seven hourly pay grades. Employees who are at or above the cap will not have their pay cut, but they can only get a raise by moving to a higher-paid category.

Wal-Mart isn't the only major corporation grappling with how to cut down on no-shows; unscheduled absenteeism has climbed to its highest level since 1999, according to results released last week of an annual nationwide survey of 326 human resource executives in U.S. companies and organizations.

The survey, conducted for CCH Inc. by the Harris Interactive consulting firm, put the U.S. absenteeism rate at 2.5 percent in 2006, up from 2.3 percent a year ago and the highest since seven years ago when it was 2.7 percent. The survey found that personal illness makes up for only 35 percent of unscheduled absences, with the rest due to family issues, personal needs, stress and an entitlement mentality.

But Pamela Wolf, a workplace analyst at CCH, believes that Wal-Mart's absentee control program seems to be bucking the trend among major corporations to embrace work-life programs that are "designed to recruit and retain workers."

"This doesn't seem to be introducing flexibility to its employees," Wolf said, after being briefed on Wal-Mart's new policy.

Dan Butler, vice president of operations at the National Retail Federation, defended stricter attendance policies like Wal-Mart's, saying "if you don't have controls in place to hold employees accountable, you can't guarantee a certain level of service."

But some Wal-Mart employees, whose names were furnished by WakeUpWalMart.com, said in interviews that the new policy is too rigid.

The new policy reduces the number of unapproved absences allowed to three from the previous four during a rolling six-month period. Employees who have more than three unapproved absences will be disciplined; seven will result in termination, according to the documents. Simley said under the old policy, employees were terminated after six unapproved absences.

The new policy appears more rigid when it comes to authorized absences. In the past, general bad weather would suffice as an authorized excuse; now it has to be a natural disaster like a hurricane or blizzard. Wal-Mart is now defining tardiness more rigidly as beginning work 10 minutes or more after the scheduled start time, which results in an incomplete shift. Three incomplete shifts add up to one unauthorized absence.

Simley argued that the new policy is more flexible. Before, employees could have been marked down as tardy for being a just few minutes late for work, he said.

Under the revised policy, Wal-Mart is encouraging employees who are sick for more than three days to apply for unpaid leave of absence under the Family Medical Leave Act.

"They always said family comes first; now, are they coming last?" asked Cynthia Murray,a Hyattsville, Md., resident, who works in the fitting room of a Wal-Mart store in Laurel, Md.

One of the changes that Murray is upset about is that Wal-Mart now counts leaving work early to pick up a sick child as a strike against you. Simley argued that Wal-Mart always counted that as an unauthorized absence.

Mike Turner, who resigned three weeks ago as assistant manager of a Wal-Mart store in Crosby, Tex., said he was briefed about the changes by his bosses earlier this fall. He said that under the old policy, managers would approve excuses on a case-by-case basis, but the 800 number eliminates such "human interaction."

"I believe in being fair," he said, noting he personally approved plenty of situations that made a worker late like flooding or a car breaking down. "What can you tell a good associate that you are going to discipline because of a system that goes against human interaction?" he asked.

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MWPC Presidente , MW80's #001 , MWJC #002 , MWAN #011

wire

Apparently I was raised wrong.

I always thought you had to leave early during inclimate weather, to assure that you make it to work on time.

I have to call in 2 hrs beforehand if I'm going to be late/absent. Apparently my company is twice as bad as the horrible, evil Walmart, and I never noticed it. Cuz ya know, I figured it was appropriate I called in that early, to give my boss time enough to find covereage for me.

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FastFly67

that's the exact reason this policy HAD to go in to effect. certain 'favorites' of managers constantly late, leaving early, taking time off for the most BS of reasons while other are punished for being late once because they have a flat tire. this way it's fair across the board. is it fair that someone who has two children who seems to be sick constantly is given more time off than say someone who has no children?
i don't take off days 'just cuz'. If I'm sick, I go to the doctor. I have a legitimate doctors note. It's frustrating seeing people take time off cuz they have some stinky farts and get treated the same as someone who is a consistant worker.

Al Blue4.6l

the horror.

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Ryan L

Notice the only people that are making a stink are the power hungry unions.

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WindyCitySi

Good fvckem... take adavantage of the system too long and this is what you get!

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SteelDust

I've left as early as 3 hours before my shift. I had a 60 mile commute and there was 8" of snow on the ground that day. And, there wouldn't have been any penalty had I just called in. The same day we had guys that live 5 miles away, that own 4x4s, call in saying they couldn't make it. It's all about your work ethic.

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WindyCitySi

Same here when it snows... I watch the news before bed and set my alarm accordingly.

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Hackker

Boo-hooo, if the policy is that hard to deal with then quit.

Guy I worked with went to a place that makes solar panels. He was telling me the factory guys work 12 hour shifts and if they are 1 minute late, they lose like either 4 or 8 hours pay. He said that people are rarely late....

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3:09 marathon in 2010, Boston in 2011, 50k ultramarathon in 2012, then on to a 50 mile ultramarathon when I turn 50. Replacement hip when I'm 51.


You have to be a moron to think they didn't see the recession coming.

Markstang

I agree with all previous replies. If you know it will take you longer to get to work, leave earlier. Seems like basic math to me.

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MWRealEstateCrew #1 (MW official Realtor ) - MW80sCrew - MWJortsCrew

devil

If you're late you're late, need to make plans to come to work earlier if the weather doesn't cooperate. I love it how alfdog intended the title to be sympathetic and make wal-mart to be the bad guys.

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Profit is the key to competition. Anyone who claims to favor competition but looks down at profit has no idea what he is talking about.

GNwes

in the military if your late too many times you could lose half months pay x 2, 45 days restriction, and reduction in rank.... i can count on one hand how many times i have been late in the last 7 years.

although some people are late all the time, cuz of favorites

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FastFly67

i think his title is the headline for the news article

Wayfarer

People aren't responsible for their own actions anymore, you have to remember that.

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KU_V6

Unions gave the power to the worker in the 50's and 60's. If it wasn't for them we would all be making $2.25 an hour and be happy with it. While unions today are somewhat retarded, dont pigeon hole unions as a whole.

elmo89

that being said, I'd be fired in a week if I worked there..


edit: stupid enough to work there

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89 GT vert, vert haters
393w, Trickflow heads, downs upper,gt-40 lower, jay allen solid roller cam, and a lil juice....

Hackker

Bullcrap. Yet another "what if" lie that the union wants people to believe. And sure, I can turn it around and say that if unions were never here we wouldn't be watching our manufacturing base leave the US for 3rd world countries too.

Unions did some good things early on, but nothing that probably wouldn't have happened sooner or later by some other means.

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3:09 marathon in 2010, Boston in 2011, 50k ultramarathon in 2012, then on to a 50 mile ultramarathon when I turn 50. Replacement hip when I'm 51.


You have to be a moron to think they didn't see the recession coming.

Wayfarer

If everyone made $2.25/hr and was HAPPY with it, would it even matter?

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