Walmart HR Practices: Recruitment, Benefits & Expatriates

Introduction

With over 2.2 million employees scattered across 27 countries, Walmart — the world's largest retailer — provides a sound basis for evaluating the company's human resource practices against its own stated goal of becoming a leader in employment. In advertising its open positions, the company makes use of four main channels: internships, job fairs, college recruiting, and its corporate website. These open positions are classified as either salaried or hourly. Salaried positions are the majority, especially in management, giving the impression that the company is committed to retaining quality employees.

Beyond career advancement opportunities, competitive pay packages, and flexible scheduling, these positions come with financial and wellness benefits including 401(k) retirement plans, employee discounts, life insurance, employee assistance programs, and an array of medical options. Positions involving international assignments outline significant benefits such as overseas premiums, tax equalization, and cost-of-living and housing allowances. They do not, however, include performance-based evaluations — something the author argues would be crucial in increasing the economic attractiveness of international assignments and, consequently, in fostering global mobility.

Walmart would not be the successful Fortune 500 company it is today if it did not hire and retain quality employees (Carlson, 2004). The company's human resource practices — most notably its open employee recruitment and employee personal development programs — have stood out and driven the company to sustained success (Wal-Mart, 2014). The company "has sought out new ways to attract employees to compensate for its further expansion" (Carlson, 2004).

Recruitment Strategies

With regard to employee recruitment, Walmart makes use of four major strategies: website advertising, college recruitment, internships, and job fairs (Haile, 2002).

Walmart reaches out to over 100 college campuses because college populations are largely diverse, bringing together people of different genders, races, backgrounds, and cultures (Carlson, 2002). When these diverse groups are brought together within the Walmart workforce, they project an image of a company with an open recruitment process — one that takes the needs of minority groups into consideration (Carlson, 2002). In this way, more people are attracted "to seek employment with Walmart" (Carlson, 2002). Moreover, the company has partnered with selected colleges to provide "management training for college students so they are more developed and prepared upon their graduation" (Carlson, 2002).

Open positions are advertised in the careers section of the company's website (Wal-Mart, 2014). Applications are submitted online through a three-stage process in which applicants provide personal information, qualifications, and shift preferences by completing an online questionnaire and a pre-employment assessment test (Wal-Mart, 2014).

Events such as the popular "Hiring Our Heroes" initiative, of which Walmart is a national sponsor, give military veterans the opportunity to showcase their teambuilding and workplace skills and thereby gain entry into the Walmart workforce (Wal-Mart, 2014).

Job Opportunity Classification

Open opportunities at Walmart are classified as either salaried or hourly (Wal-Mart, 2014). A salaried position offers fixed pay regardless of hours worked, whereas an hourly position pays only for hours actually worked, meaning compensation decreases during off-peak seasons. Most of Walmart's management positions are salaried, which implies that the company is committed to retaining employees by ensuring job security and reducing the temptation to seek alternative employment during slower periods. This interpretation is reinforced by the fact that the company's top management is composed largely of employees who began as junior hourly workers — an assurance of career development that drives performance and fosters employee loyalty.

Conclusion

Walmart is a Fortune 500 company and the world's largest retailer. In the area of recruitment, the company advertises open positions on its corporate website and actively engages in college recruiting and job fairs. Walmart offers competitive and attractive benefits to both domestic employees and expatriates. However, the company does not extend performance-based bonuses to expatriates — an omission that could undermine the success of international assignments by reducing their economic attractiveness and limiting global mobility.