Walmart, Like Amazon, to Pay Holiday Bonuses to U.S. Workers -- 2nd Update
December 03 2020 - 12:51PM
Dow Jones News
By Sarah Nassauer
Walmart Inc. said it would pay another round of bonuses to U.S.
workers as the retailer, like rival Amazon.com Inc., seeks to
retain and reward staffers managing a surge in sales during the
coronavirus pandemic.
Walmart said it would pay $300 cash bonuses to full-time workers
and $150 bonuses to part-time associates in the U.S. on Dec. 24.
Last week, Amazon.com said it would pay a round of cash bonuses to
its employees.
It will be Walmart's fourth special cash bonus paid to U.S.
staff since the start of the pandemic. The company said the
Christmas Eve bonuses will cost $388 million. Walmart also paid
$319 million in regular quarterly bonuses on Nov. 24, which the
company has long paid employees based on store performance.
Walmart has reported strong sales and profit figures in recent
quarters as shoppers flock to stores offering food, one-stop
shopping and online-order pickup. Including typical quarterly
bonuses, Walmart said it has paid more than $2.8 billion in cash
bonuses this year.
The company said about 1.5 million workers will get the latest
bonuses, including staff at Walmart stores and distribution centers
and its Sam's Club warehouse chain. Drivers and assistant managers
will also receive a special cash bonus, it said.
Like Amazon, Walmart has been adding staff this year to handle
the increased business as big-box chains that have been able to
stay open throughout the pandemic draw more shoppers to their
stores and websites.
Amazon said last week it would give staff a December bonus of
$300 for full-time workers and $150 for part-time workers. Its last
coronavirus related bonus came in June. Target Corp. has also given
several bonuses to store and warehouse staff and earlier this year
raised its starting wage to $15 an hour.
Amazon has rapidly increased its workforce during the pandemic,
closing the gap with Walmart, which has long been the U.S. largest
private employer.
Amazon said in October that it had nearly 1.4 million U.S.
front-line workers, including Whole Foods staff and temporary
workers, nearly doubling its workforce since late March.
Walmart employed more than 2.2 million world-wide as of Jan. 31,
including about 700,000 international staff, according to its
annual report. Walmart's international workforce is expected to
drop after selling operations in various countries, including
Japan, Argentina and the U.K.
On Thursday, Walmart also said it would extend a coronavirus
leave policy for U.S. workers through July 5, 2021, given the
continuing pandemic. The policy gives full- and part-time staff up
to two weeks of pay should they need to stay home for Covid-related
reasons, including mandated quarantines or symptoms of the
illness.
Write to Sarah Nassauer at sarah.nassauer@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 03, 2020 12:36 ET (17:36 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2020 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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