Is Walmart a Good Place To Work? (All You Need To Know)

Finding a suitable work environment can be difficult, as some companies don’t have a very good reputation when it comes to treating their employees well.

With that, if you’re looking into getting a job at Walmart, you may be wondering if the leading retail store is a good place to work or not. I’ve done all the necessary research, and here’s what I’ve found out!

Is Walmart a Good Place To Work?

Some Walmart workers think Walmart is an okay workplace because of low pay, scheduling conflicts, and poor work-life balance. However, Walmart employees report positive aspects of working there, too, like tuition reimbursement, ease of getting promoted, and an easy-to-use scheduling app.

Before deciding if Walmart is a good place to work for you, keep reading to find more thoughts employees had about working at Walmart!

What Are Things Employees Love About Working at Walmart?

When Glassdoor.com asked employees to list their favorite things about working at Walmart, employees listed several factors they believe make Walmart a good place to work.

It’s Easy To Get Promoted at Walmart

In comparison to other employers, promotions are not challenging to obtain at Walmart.

If you do your job, put in the time and effort, and develop your skills, you will get noticed and move up in the company, as Walmart invests in employees, helping them grow.

Walmart Hires People With No Prior Work Experience

Because Walmart hires applicants as young as 16, a lack of skills does not prevent anyone from obtaining an entry-level position.

So, Walmart is a perfect place for those wanting to learn about retail but lack experience.

Walmart Is Diverse

Walmart is known to support the employment of people of color, women, those with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups.

Currently, over 25% of Walmart’s corporate officers are people of color.

Walmart Covers 100% of College Tuition (At Participating Colleges)

In an effort to attract applicants, Walmart has partnered with ten academic partners, such as Southern New Hampshire University and the University of Arizona, to cover 100% of employee tuition.

Additionally, this benefit includes books and other supplies. According to Walmart executives, program participation improves employee retention and the likelihood of promotion.

Walmart Offers Flexible Schedules

In response to employee concerns with shift scheduling, Walmart developed an innovative way to monitor shift availability.

My Walmart Schedule is an app developed by Walmart that enables employees to control their work hours. With this app, employees can view schedules, swap shifts, and pick up extra hours.

For cross-trained workers, the app also allows workers to schedule shifts outside their home department.

Moreover, working in other departments increases earning potential and helps employees better learn store roles.

What Are Things Employees Hate About Working at Walmart?

What Are Things Employees Hate About Working At Walmart?

Unfortunately, there are also several things former and current Walmart employees dislike about working at the retail store.

Walmart Pay Is Low

Compared to other big-box retailers, Walmart’s starting wages are lower and have not seen changes in years.

With that, you should expect to make around $11 an hour for an entry-level cashier position, which is still considered below the current poverty line, although above minimum wage.

One thing that upsets Walmart employees is that similar jobs make at least $2 more per hour at other retailers.

Walmart Has Rude Customers

Dealing with rude customers is a serious concern in the retail industry, as customers can be demanding and abusive. Often, employees are just expected to take it in with a smile.

Unfortunately, this view that “the customer is always right” is a quick way to demoralize staff and leads to low retention rates.

Walmart Employees Complain Of Poor Work-Life Balance

Despite the My Walmart Schedule App development, there are still situations where scheduling can cause damage to employees’ lives outside of work.

Due to the number of departments and seasonal demands, it is impossible to schedule everyone to work the hours they want.

For this reason, many Walmart employees feel like schedule demands create a poor work-life balance.

How Is the Walmart Work Environment?

Walmart has gone on the record to say that it wants happy employees who feel like they are cared for by their employer.

With that, Walmart offers competitive salaries, health and dental insurance, 401k matching, life insurance, and an on-the-job injury program to encourage high morale.

Although this sounds amazing, do any of these benefits make employees happy?

When researching a new job, it is essential to consider the opinions of current and past employees.

Fortunately, job ranking sites like Glassdoor.com and Salary.com give potential employees a glimpse inside the minds of people who have worked in their desired positions.

Currently, on Glassdoor.com, Walmart has an employee satisfaction ranking of 3.3/5.0 stars.

Specifically, employees appreciate the fun work environment, flexible shifts, clean and safe locations, and generally, friendly supervisors.

With this in mind, given the nature of retail positions, employees often complain of rude customers that make the environment stressful, especially during peak seasons such as during holidays and school breaks.

How Stressful Is Walmart’s Work Environment?

Walmart is a retail company that is well-known for being a stressful work environment for workers.

For example, a Harvard study found that the retail industry, including Walmart, has been experiencing a high rate of fatigue and stress-related health problems among employees.

Additionally, Everest College found that 83% of workers reported being stressed due to work.

According to an American Psychological Association (APA) study, work is one of the top three triggers for stress for working Americans.

With that, less than 43% of employees of large corporations like Walmart feel employers care about employees’ work-life balance.

As illustrated by several well-known lawsuits from former employees, Walmart has some negative policies in place that make employees feel the need to choose between working long hours or meeting family and other life obligations.

Retail industry experts feel that low-paying positions at Walmart fail to provide employees with the economic power to voice their work-life balance concerns, and the uneven power dynamic makes Walmart employees feel even greater stress.

Is Walmart a Good Place For 16-Year-Olds To Work?

You will be happy to learn that Walmart is willing to take a chance and hire employees at 16 by allowing teens to work entry-level Walmart jobs such as cashier.

As far as entry levels go for teens, Walmart is considered a great place to work for 16-year-olds as it teaches many valuable work skills, such as customer service, cashier, and time management.

Is Walmart a Good Place To Work While Attending College?

As we previously discussed, Walmart values the education of its workers, as employees can receive tuition matching while earning a college degree from ten partner colleges and even begin a Walmart career path.

Even if you’re not interested in a future Walmart career, working at Walmart while going to college has its perks.

For example, many Walmart stores are open 24 hours a day, giving students plenty of opportunities to fit in a shift between their classes.

Also, college students can work in entry-level positions despite having little to no employment experience.

Is Walmart a Good Place For Part-Time or Seasonal Workers To Work?

Although many part-time and seasonal jobs usually lack benefits that make them unappealing to applicants, that’s not the case at Walmart.

Granted that part-time or seasonal Walmart employees work an average of 30 hours per week within 60 days, they will be eligible for benefits like full-time employees.

From day one, those part-time and seasonal employees who meet the minimum weekly hours are eligible to receive:

  • Medical, Vision, and Dental Benefits
  • Accident and Critical Injury Insurance
  • AD&D (Accidental death and dismemberment)
  • Business Travel Accident Insurance

These perks are an excellent reason to consider working part-time at Walmart

To know more about Walmart, you can also see our posts on whether or not Walmart hires at 16, if Walmart conducts drug tests, and if Walmart is an ethical company.

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Marques Thomas

Marques Thomas graduated with a MBA in 2011. Since then, Marques has worked in the retail and consumer service industry as a manager, advisor, and marketer. Marques is also the head writer and founder of QuerySprout.com.

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