Walmart just cut its paid leave policy for workers who test positive for Covid-19 amid the surge of cases across the U.S. We are so surprised by the timing of this policy change!
The country’s largest employer halved paid leave for Covid-positive workers from two weeks to one in a memo sent to employees this week. Workers in the United States who have to isolate or tested positive for COVID-19 will receive half of the paid time off under the new policy. That hardly seems like enough time to recover from this highly contagious illness!
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced last month that people should isolate for five days rather than 10 after testing positive for Covid, which has led to U.S. corporations to reconsider their paid time off programs.
Walmart’s change to the their paid leave policy is meant to better align with the new CDC guidelines, but is still frustrating for workers–especially since they just announced that they were extending the two-week paid sick leave policy through the end of March 2022 amid the variant surge.
If you recall, in March 2020 Walmart originated the policy amid the global pandemic outbreak.
Walmart is the first U.S. employer to change their policy for hourly workers and we hate the precedent this sets for other companies. Other Walmart Covid policies that left workers and shoppers alike not-so-happy? Their strict product limits and requirements for facial coverings.
