Exclusive-Walmart halves paid leave for COVID-19 positive employees Reuters extends hybrid work guidelines

By Siddharth Cavale and Richa Naidu

(Reuters) – Walmart (NYSE 🙂 Inc. will now pay a one-week paid break if an employee hires COVID-19 to replace the previous policy for a maximum of two weeks, according to a note seen by Reuters.

A note sent to U.S. hourly partners and long-distance drivers on Tuesday said workers with a COVID-19 positive and who need to be quarantined – by Walmart, a health care provider or a government agency – will be entitled to paid weekly rest. , according to the average salary for the last 26 salary periods.

The “COVID-19 Termination and Emergency Permits” policy is an update to the policy issued on December 1, 2021, which stated that employees would be given a maximum of 2 weeks paid leave.

Walmart, the largest private employer in the United States with 1.6 million employees, is one of the largest retailers to reduce its COVID-19 paid license, and could serve other important employers.

A Walmart spokesman confirmed the change in COVID leave policy. The spokesman added that Walmart employees were also urged to continue working from home until January 30, even though the offices would remain open. Earlier, the company asked employees to work virtually until January 10th.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week recommended that people be isolated for five days after a COVID-19 infection instead of 10 days.