Whether you’re a part-time or full-time Walmart employee, it’s important to keep a clear attendance record. Any unexpected issues must be reported to the higher-ups before your scheduled shift begins. Otherwise, any violation will be reflected in Walmart’s attendance policy point system, resulting in severe disciplinary actions.
After months of research, my team has compiled the following guide to outline in more detail how the system works.
Walmart deducts 0.5 points for early leaves or late arrivals (less than 50% of the shift) and 1 point when you miss half of the shift. If you fail to show up and do not even report your absence 16 hours in advance, you will receive 2 warning points. The brand will usually fire its hourly employees when they reach 5 points within 6 months.
Walmart’s attendance point system works as follows:
Every hourly worker must clock in/out on time so that the company can monitor their attendance more accurately; both early outs and late arrivals add more points to your record.
As a rule of thumb, Walmart will terminate its associates who accumulate 5 points in 6 months, but this policy may vary depending on the store managers. In some instances, an employee with over 5 points can still work due to short-staffing problems, their excellent performances in previous months, etc.
The accumulated point only lasts six months, after which the Walmart point system resets to 0.
The point system gives each employee a concise, clear overview of their attendance record to promote punctuality. With the disciplinary actions clearly specified for higher point levels, Walmart employees will be extra cautious to avoid accumulating too many absence points.
Employees might lose motivation and dedication to work without any absenteeism and tardiness policy.
A clear point system encourages employees to invest more time and effort into maintaining their attendance records. As a result, in case of urgent matters or emergencies, they are more willing to communicate with their managers instead of keeping silent about those situations.
Hourly Walmart associates are not the only ones held accountable by the attendance point system chart; management is not excluded. With clear absenteeism points, all managerial favoritism and subjectivity are 100% eliminated to give everyone a fair playing field regarding disciplinary actions.
Although Walmart has a strict employee point system for good reason, it must also abide by the federal laws that protect employees from unfair discrimination.
Specifically, some special cases of absence are not treated as rule violations and, therefore, should not incur any penalties or disciplinary actions. If the company uses a “no-fault” point-based system with no explicit exemptions for such cases, that will be considered illegal and might lead to severe repercussions for the brand.
Below are some types of absences that are 100% exempt from any disciplinary actions:
Family/Medical Leave Act
Family Rights Act (California)
American Citizens With Disabilities Act
Any employee limited in at least one major life activity (due to mental or physical impairment) is considered disabled and should receive proper accommodations and support at work.
Like most retailers, Walmart offers all employees PTO/paid time off, meaning they can take days off for personal reasons, vacations, sickness, etc. There is also a PPTO (Protected PTO) policy that you can use for emergencies or unexpected absences. In those cases, your attendance record will not receive any warning points.
On another note, the carryover and cash-out PTO system for salaried and hourly associates might differ. You should review your fact sheets carefully or consult your superior to confirm how these rules work for your case.
To check how many points you currently have:
You can use either one of the two following methods:
Some extra tips to remember:
Here’s the great news: Walmart also has an attendance reward program for its hourly associates to encourage punctuality and discipline.
Under the program, those with 0 or only 1 absence in one pay period are given a bonus. Associates who have 2 absences or more will not be eligible.
My guide has discussed several attendance point system rules that all new hires must keep in mind.
Except for PPTO/PTO and a few special cases listed under federal laws, any unreported absence, early leaves, or late arrivals give you at least 0.5 warning points. Earning 5 points within a six-month period might end your career at Walmart, so be careful!
