Tardiness not tolerated at Wal-Mart

November 27, 2006
Tardiness not tolerated at Wal-Mart
By MELISSA GRIGGS
Staff Writer




If it's true that everything we ever needed to know we learned in kindergarten, then we know it is bad to be tardy.

In school, if you get to class after the bell rings, you have to go to the principal's office for a pass. In the grown-up world, if you're late for work, you need a "pass" from your boss.

Lately, some employees have come to regard Wal-Mart as the stern schoolmarm of the corporate world.

At Wal-Mart, snowy weather is no longer an excuse for lateness. It had better be a natural disaster, such as a hurricane or blizzard. And being 10 minutes or more tardy for work four times will earn you a demerit. Too many of those could get you fired.

It's all part of an attendance policy implemented this fall by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and already drawing fire from critics, who claim the rules are the latest attempt by the nation's largest private employer to weed out long-term workers to cut labor costs.

Now, employees must call an 800 number to report absences and tardiness instead of talking to their store managers. The policy treats employees "like children while penalizing them if, God forbid, they face a child or friend with a medical emergency," said Chris Kofinis at

WakeUpWalmart.com.

John Simley, spokesman for Wal-Mart, said the changes are "designed to produce a better work environment and a better shopping environment."

Wal-Mart isn't the only corporation grappling with how to cut down on no-shows; unscheduled absenteeism has climbed, according to a recent survey of 326 human resource executives. The survey, conducted for CCH Inc. by Harris Interactive, put the absenteeism rate at 2.5 percent in 2006, up from 2.3 percent last year.

But Nick Maddox, a management professor at Stetson University, said Wal-Mart's policy seems to be bucking the trend among major corporations.

"There is a real movement in the corporate world to build employee-friendly programs," he said. "If employees are getting the job done, why do I have to meddle with how and when? Today, people are extended to the max with all kinds of challenges. The more companies can do to accommodate the challenges, the more they will retain employees and a sense of loyalty and commitment."

Maddox said it bothers him when companies adopt policies instead of practicing good management. "If someone has a recognizable pattern of tardiness, it is not a policy issue, but a supervisory one," he said. "The supervisor has a responsibility to talk to the employee, find out what is causing the problem and then help the person deal with it."

Larry Bucholz of Vision HR Inc., a human resources firm in Daytona Beach, said policies vary. "I see policies that are equally as strict as Wal-Mart's in the retail and restaurant industries," he said. "In the professional world, I don't see that."

Bucholz said policies also differ for hourly and salaried employees. With hourly workers, who get paid overtime, "you don't want them coming in late, but you also don't want them around after they are supposed to clock out," he said.

-- The Associated Press

contributed to this report.

melissa.griggs@news-jrnl.com










© 2006 News-Journal Corporation