Those words stuck around, and today they’re even printed on associates’ name badges.
They’re words with staying power because they don’t simply form a slogan – they mean something real. Two years ago this week, those words took on extra meaning as our CEO Doug McMillon shared that we were making new investments in our people.
What has that commitment meant since then? Here’s a quick look.
Here’s What Happened
February 19, 2015 was a big day. After news broke that the company was taking a new approach to our jobs – specifically raising starting pay for 1.2 million associates across the country, and creating training programs to build skills that can help them be more successful – it went down in the Walmart history books.
200,000 Promotions
The next year, those raises went into effect, marking one of the largest single-day, private-sector pay increases ever – and resulting in new positions for many across the Walmart workforce. Out of the 200,000 associates promoted, more than 11,000 of them were hourly associates getting promoted to salaried manager positions.
Academies Across America
At 70 of our stores across the U.S. today, a Walmart Academy is a real place. It’s a dedicated building where associates can get advanced retail and leadership skills, as well as specifics on how to run individual store departments like produce and meat. The course is designed for hourly supervisors and department managers, who are paid to leave their home stores to soak up training that not only can help them be more successful in their careers, but also better serve their customers.
Graduation Day
As more Academy locations get up and running, each location hosts a real graduation. Associates celebrate in the company of their families, and then return to their stores to put their newfound skills to use.
New Pathways
In addition to Walmart Academies, we also launched another training course – Pathways – for all new entry-level associates. It’s a hands-on, interactive experience that combines computer-based learning with in-store training and results in an associate who’s better prepared to serve our customers and advance in his or her career.
Paid Time Off
Last year, our paid time off program got a refresh as well. In March 2016, we streamlined paid vacation, sick, personal and holiday time into one category for hourly associates in Walmart U.S. and Sam’s Club stores. Not only does this give associates more control and flexibility – we believe it offers stability that helps better set anyone up to reach his or her true potential.
Taking Care of the People Who Take Care of You
When the news of this renewed commitment to our people began to take off two years ago, it made for an awesome day. It’s even better to look back now and be able to show that we’ve made real progress. But this is only the beginning. Putting our associates on the path to success ultimately makes Walmart a better business, and we’ve already found that investments in training, education and wages for our associates have resulted in higher customer satisfaction.