Wal-Mart to Eliminate One-Day Waiting Period for Sick Leave

Author: Ashley Shaw, XpertHR Legal Editor

February 27, 2015

Wal-Mart CEO Doug McMillion has announced that it will eliminate its one-day waiting period for sick leave. This change will be implemented next year. Making employee access to sick leave easier may aid employers in boosting morale and in reducing employee turnover.

Under current Wal-Mart policy, an employee may not use a sick day until the second day of his or her illness. On the first day out, the employee has to use a personal day. However, under the company's new policy, the same employee will be able to use a sick day from the first day out, thus saving the personal day for a later time.

This change in its leave policy is just one of the ways Wal-Mart is planning on creating a better working environment. The company also has plans to:

  • Raise the base pay for entry-level employees;
  • Offer 401(k) options from the first day of work, as opposed to the year that employees must wait under the current policy; and
  • Create more stable and predictable working schedules.

These planned policy changes come after receiving the lowest customer service rating for department and retail stores on the American Customer Satisfaction Index, and could be partly as the result of store problems such as un-stocked shelves and long lines. These changes were made to boost employee morale, which might in turn result in a better customer experience.

While sick leave is not required under federal law, offering it does more than just boost morale - especially in a customer-based work environment. Without it, many employees will be reluctant to take personal leave when sick, and shoppers may not want sick, contagious employees handling their purchases. Wal-Mart's new policy could help eliminate some of these concerns.