Daily CSR
Daily CSR

Daily CSR
Daily news about corporate social responsibility, ethics and sustainability

Walmart opens its doors wider for US veterans as well as for transitioning troops



06/02/2015

So as to capitalise on US Veterans and transitioning troops, Walmart has expanded its Welcome Home Commitment program and is likely to provide jobs to 250,000 US Veterans by 2020. It already has 92,000 on its payroll and 8,000 of them have been given a raise. Walmart’s commitments not only extends to US Veterans but to their families as well.


Walmart has announced its next step in its veterans Welcome Home Commitment program by guaranteeing a job to any US Veteran who has been honourable discharged from active duty. In 2013, on Memorial Day, Walmart had launched this program but its commitment to provide employment to the veterans was restricted to within a year of off-active duty. In addition to this, Walmart’s projected intake of veterans by 2020 has been increased from 100,000 to 250,000.
 
Since 2013’s Memorial Day, Walmart has absorbed more than 92,000 veterans of which 8,000 have had a pay raise and have been assigned greater responsibilities.
 
“We’ve experienced a tremendous response to the Veterans Welcome Home Commitment in our first two years, and as more service members transition out of active duty, we know we can do more,” said retired Brigadier General Gary Profit now Walmart’s senior director of military programs. He continued further saying, “We believe veterans represent the largest, diverse, talent-rich pool in the world and are an essential segment of the next generation at Walmart.”
 
As per the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, around 250,000 service personnel may move out from the military per year over the next five years and the need for America’s leading businesses houses to contribute to their transition will only continue to grow.
 
“Walmart’s Veterans Welcome Home Commitment assures our nation's veterans that there is an opportunity available for them through a much needed short-term job or the start of a long-term career. Walmart, Sam’s Club, and the Walmart Foundation, have been strong partners, supporting IVMF’s work building impactful programs, including for veteran and family business ownership, through the educational institutions and communities where veterans and families are preparing for important transitions in their lives,”said James Schmeling, the co-founder of the Institute for Veterans and Military Families and managing director for programming.
 
For West Bernhardt, now a Walmart store manager in Tulsa, Okla, it was an experience of reverse order. “I didn’t start out in the armed forces,” he explained. “I worked for Walmart, joined the National Guard, and then deployed to Iraq.” He goes to explain the process more clearly. “Walmart offers a military differential pay, and that kept me afloat while I was deployed in the Army. Walmart also held my position while deployed. On every military leave, I could come back to the company to work, and I was promoted within two weeks of returning from my final deployment in Iraq.”
 
So as to cater to those who are transitioning, Walmart has also extended its support to them and their families. The generosity of this offer goes much beyond Walmart’s operations and leverages the size and scale of its supply chain to further support and strengthen programs that provide training, education and employment.



References:
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20150520005448/en#.VVx4N7mqqk