Walmart’s Wisconsin employees received a total of $3 million in cash bonuses in late April as part of the company’s response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer on Thursday announced it paid out nearly $180 million in bonuses to store, club and supply chain employees across the U.S. That’s in addition to the more than $365 million in bonuses it paid hourly associates in early April.
Walmart has more than 11,500 brick-and-mortar locations worldwide, including 5,000 in the U.S. It currently employs 2.2 million total associates, with 1.5 million based in the U.S.
In Wisconsin, Walmart has currently has 99 stores and 29,788 employees, according to its website.
“We’ve seen firsthand our associates’ unwavering focus to take care of customers and members while providing a vital service to communities during this time,” said Donna Morris, chief people officer in a statement. “In this unprecedented period of time, we have made several commitments focused on our associates and wanted to provide an update on our progress.”
The company also said it has hired an additional 200,000 associates in U.S. stores, clubs, distribution centers and fulfillment centers since March 19. Originally, the goal was 150,000 new associates, including 4,200 associates in Wisconsin, by the end of May in order to meet increased demand from shoppers.
“We are still on track to meet our goal of hiring 4,200 new associates in Wisconsin by the end of May and local stores will continue to hire based on their needs,” said Tiffany Wilson, director of communications at Walmart.
Walmart said it has taken steps to keep employees and shoppers safe amidst the current public health crisis. Employees undergo health screens and daily temperature checks and are provided with masks and gloves. The company said it has placed limits on the number of customers in stores, instituted sanitation protocols and installed sneeze guards at all registers as well as social distancing signage throughout the store.
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