Dive Brief:
- Two-thirds of Walmart’s U.S. hourly store roles will be full-time "with consistent schedules week to week," Drew Holler, senior vice president, Walmart U.S. People Operations, announced in a company blog post April 14.
- Holler pointed out that the company's "growing pickup and delivery business" is a driving force behind the push to more full-time positions. In 2016, just over half of the U.S. hourly workforce held full-time positions; if the company reaches its goals, it will have 100,000 more full-time positions than 5 years ago, Holler said.
- Walmart is also doubling down on the team-based structure they introduced last year, Holler said, including cross-training and real-time feedback and mentorship for associates from their team leaders.
Dive Insight:
Walmart announced in 2020 that it would shift to a cross-training model in part to allow more scheduling flexibility, Holler previously told HR Dive. In that model, associates are given the opportunity to learn on the job as well as more access to their team leaders, gaining broader skill sets and better ability to climb the career ladder.
Schedule consistency is a major concern of hourly workers; in a Qualtrics survey from February 2020, workers said that the important aspects of a good schedule were the prioritization of health and sleep, followed closely by consistency. Predictable hours, other studies have shown, may improve retention and company culture. And as employees feel the pressure of other obligations — including, in some cases, other jobs — predictable scheduling may help employees perform better at work, a 2018 study of Gap workers showed.
Additionally, many part-time employees, especially those who may be working part time involuntarily, expect to be able to go full time eventually, a 2019 Indeed study showed — a finding that may be especially relevant in the wake of economic upheaval prompted by the coronavirus pandemic.
