Walmart on Tuesday said it will pay out another cash bonus to frontline employees working in stores, clubs and its distribution and fulfillment centers for their work during the coronavirus pandemic.
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The retailer will pay a bonus of $300 for full-time hourly associates and $150 for part-time hourly and temporary associates. Drivers, managers, assistant managers and its health and wellness workers will reap rewards as well–amounting to approximately $428 million in all.
It’s the third coronavirus-related bonus the retailer is giving to its employees. It also handed out bonuses in April and May.
The bonuses, which will pay out on Aug. 20, are in recognition of employees’ “incredible work” during the pandemic, said John Furner, president and CEO of Walmart U.S.
“Our associates have been working at an incredible pace, they’ve solved problems and they’ve set an amazing example for others,” he said in a statement.
Related: Benefits and the pandemic: Are you stepping up?
Walmart also announced it will close its stores on Thanksgiving Day.
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“We know this has been a trying year, and our associates have stepped up. We hope they will enjoy a special Thanksgiving Day at home with their loved ones,” Furner said. “We are certainly thankful to our people for all of their efforts.”
A handful of other companies have turned to bonuses as a way to reward and help employees during the coronavirus pandemic.
McDonald’s awarded bonuses to every worker at its company-owned stores–equivalent to 10% of the workers’ pay earned in May. Kroger in March provided a one-time bonus to every hourly frontline grocery, supply chain, manufacturing and customer service associate, amounting to $300 for full-time associates and $150 for part-time associates. Financial services firm Ally Financial gave employees making $100,000 or less a one-time $1,200 tax-free financial assistance payment to help with incremental costs related to working from home. Facebook and JPMorgan also handed out financial payments to employees to help.
