Walmart: Addressing Employee and Corporate Culture Issues Report

This report provides an in-depth analysis of internal issues within Walmart, a multinational retail corporation. It begins with a description of the organization, identifies the problem of understaffing and its impact on operational efficiency and customer experience. The report then explores Walmart's current corporate culture, highlighting issues of employee underpayment, excessive monitoring, and lack of employee empowerment, drawing on the author's personal experience. The analysis identifies weaknesses such as lawsuits related to employee treatment and high turnover rates. The report proposes solutions focusing on improving management practices, fostering a more positive work environment, and recognizing employee contributions to enhance overall job satisfaction and company performance. The report is a valuable resource for understanding the challenges faced by large retailers and potential strategies for improvement. The assignment is available on Desklib, a platform offering past papers and solved assignments for students.

Running head: MANAGEMENT
Management
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Executive Summary:
The report aims at providing an insight into an internal issue faced by a company. The
company chosen here is Walmart. The report commences with a brief description of the
organization and the issue that needs to be resolved. The report also puts forward an analysis
of the current corporate culture of the company. The report also identifies the weakness and
puts across proposed solutions for resolution of the issue.

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Table of Contents
1. Describe the Organization and the Issue to Resolve..............................................................3
2. Analysis of Current Corporate Culture..................................................................................3
3. Identification of the Weakness...............................................................................................4
4. Proposed Solutions.................................................................................................................5
References:.................................................................................................................................6

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1. Describe the Organization and the Issue to Resolve
The chosen organization is Walmart which is a multinational retailer with its
headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. The company was found by Sam Walton in the year
1962 and was responsible for the operation of chain of hypermarkets, grocery stores and
discounted departmental stores. The retailer also operated and owned the Sam’s Club retail
warehouses. As per the records of 2018, Walmart had close to 11,277 stores as well as club in
twenty seven countries that operated under close to fifty five different names
(corporate.walmart.com, 2019). It is in United States and Canada that the company is
operated under the name of Walmart.
The organizational issue that the company faces lies in lack of the employees
working, I have been working in Walmart and within my vicinity of the department there are
only two people working. Until I joined in there had been just two women who had been
working in the department with no additional help. It seemed quite a challenge as it had been
quite a big area. This particular issue hindered the organizational efficiency since it becomes
extremely difficult in getting things done with such few workers in the store. Besides, the
store also needed to look presentable to the customers but if no one helps in making it happen
then the customers does not feel the urge to visit the store. This is quite a detrimental act for
the business.
2. Analysis of Current Corporate Culture
The corporate culture at Walmart is very unlike anything encountered by me. The
focus of the company on cost reduction and efficiency results in poor experience at line level.
Employees are not only underpaid but their tasks remains heavily monitored (Cain, 2019).

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Besides, they are hounded to do something or the other round the clock. The experience that
employees can gather in Walmart is more like the prison. It is also one of the prominent
examples of micromanagement where an employee or subordinate is closely monitored by
the manager. Since, I have been working for Walmart for quite some time so I have seen a
broader spectrum of the corporate culture. The feeling as an employee has nothing been more
than an owned equipment of the company where any deviation in daily activities gave rise to
threats. Employees were there only to work but work never seemed enjoyable. In other
words, employees were not allowed to enjoy. In fact there was no freedom given to the
employees for innovating their way of doing work or performing the task in a manner that
they felt comfortable. Walmart ignored the fact that they should take utmost care of the
employees and treat them as non living equipments (Bose, 2018). This in turn results in
giving up the job and look out for better options.
3. Identification of the Weakness
Walmart experienced various lawsuits in relation to the treatment of the employees
that included discrimination, unfair promotions, unequal wages, poor benefits and poor work
ambience (Abrams, 2017). This has not only resulted in significant money loss of the retailer
but has been responsible for tarnishing the reputation of the brand.
The company also experiences higher turnover of employees and lack of motivation
amongst the existing employees as a result of the lack of social responsibility for the workers.
This aspect also gets reflected in the image of the company.
As far as the shopping experience is concerned, Walmart neither offers an ideal
ambience nor an enjoyable service to the customers like the other retailers (Jones, 2018). In
other words, shopping in Walmart is more like shopping in a large warehouse with no

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differentiation between the stores. Certain products sold are inferior in quality that reflects
poorly on the brand.
4. Proposed Solutions
As a consultant I would bring about a change in the company’s poor management.
Besides, I would also work on ensuring a culture where workers not only have immense
freedom but are happy working. The following solutions might help Walmart in getting over
its culture (Dugguh & Dennis, 2014):
1. Greeting the Teams: A small hello goes a longer way in workplace. A little nudge
from the management is enough to make the employees in feeling happy and working.
2. Frequent Delivery of Praise and Recognition: By delivering consistent
recognition and praise, the team will not only be eager but also excited in contributing a
companywide initiative.
3. Making Work a Fulfilling Experience: It is also necessary to provide a complete
picture of the mission and the purpose of the company for making the employees feel good
since they would completely understand the purpose and the mission of the company. It is
however necessary for providing a rundown of each of the departments.

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References:
Abrams, R. (2017). Walmart Is Accused of Punishing Workers for Sick Days. Retrieved from
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/01/business/walmart-workers-sick-days.html
Bose, N. (2018). Half of Walmart's workforce are part-time workers: labor group. Retrieved
from https://www.reuters.com/article/us-walmart-workers/half-of-walmarts-workforce-
are-part-time-workers-labor-group-idUSKCN1IQ295
Cain, A. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/Walmart-employees-dish-
on-what-its-actually-like-to-work-at-the-retail-giant/articleshow/65246732.cms
corporate.walmart.com. (2019). Retrieved from https://corporate.walmart.com/our-story/our-
business
Dugguh, S. I., & Dennis, A. (2014). Job satisfaction theories: Traceability to employee
performance in organizations. IOSR journal of business and management, 16(5), 11-18.
Jones, C. (2018). Walmart goes upscale in selling furniture, home goods online. Retrieved
from https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/02/22/walmart-tweaks-its-website-
make-online-shopping-more-inviting/359737002/