Walmart Veteran Hiring Practices: A Case Study

Walmart Veteran Hiring Practices When an individual separates or retires from the military, the challenge to reintegrate into civilian life is immediately upon them. Not only is a person subjected to a less structured style of living, the challenge to find employment to support themselves and their families can be an unpromising task. Companies such as Walmart are doing their part to make veteran hiring a priority in their labor portfolio by pushing out initiatives to assist these former military members to return to the work force. Walmart’s “Veterans Welcome Home Commitment” is a program that promotes veteran hiring. The program is seen as favorable by some and undesirable by others. Regardless of a person’s view, Walmart is one of several
A press announcement came out in May 2013 for their “Veterans Welcome Home Commitment” program to offer a job to any honorably discharged veteran within the first twelve months off active duty. With this program, the company has projected to hire more than 100,000 veterans over the next five years. The White House pushed the initiative in April and Walmart was one of several Fortune 500 companies to step up to the challenge of hiring veterans. According to Bill Simon, Walmart U.S. president and CEO, “veterans can perform under pressure, can be quick learners, and have a team player mentality” (Souza). He also believes that they can be leaders who have discipline, applicable training, and a passion for service. It is also noted by Kim Souza that Bill Simon is a US Navy veteran and knows firsthand the “struggles of the separating service member and military families”. Walmart also announced that the corporation set aside $20 million through 2015 in order to help military veterans and families with job training, transition support, and education. They allow soldiers to use their Post 9-11 GI Bill education benefits for job training in order to minimize training costs especially for those who are on the management or corporate track. Walmart has also stated that the company management would do their best to give the veteran
They have shed a light on the unemployment rates surrounding pre and post 9-11 veterans. The unemployment rate as of July 2013 was 6.4% with post 9-11 veterans at 7.7%. At this time, the national average of all unemployment was 7.4%. (Souza) The unemployment rates particularly for the post 9-11 veterans have improved since 2011 where the rate was 12.1%. (Souza) However, some negative publicity has come from this hiring practice mostly due to the IRS tax credits that Walmart gets for each veteran that is hired. Also, it has been publicized that this practice exploits veterans and makes them seem desperate for jobs or handouts. Some would also challenge that this hiring practice eliminates a better qualified person just because of the veteran’s preference status given. Regardless of the view or the initiatives behind hiring veterans, the numbers show that these initiatives are helping veterans return to the work