Ethical Issues In Walmart

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3.0 One of the most serious allegations of unfair treatment reported by some Wal-Mart employees is that of being asked to work off the clock. This means that employees are pressured to do overtime work for which they do not get paid. Employees are classified into two categories in which they get paid. They are salaried employees and hourly employees. Hourly employees are also known as non-exempt employees and they don’t have a contract. They are typically paid on an hour-by-hour basis for actual hours worked. According to federal law, hourly employees are eligible for overtime if they work more than 40 hours a week. According to the US Labour Code, salaried employees are also known as exempt employees. They receive employment contract. In…show more content…
In an example, there were complaints to corporate executives about the pay disparities and sexual discriminations but received little or no response. They were likely to ignore the matters and this showed that they were immoral. Besides, there was another case where Wal-Mart opened a store in Jonquiere, Quebec in 2001. In 2004, the United Food & Commercial Workers’ Union was certified to represent the store’s employees. After workers at a Wal-Mart store in Quebec successfully unionized, Wal-Mart announced that it would close that store, citing economic reasons (Jordan, 2008). This had clearly showed that Wal-Mart opposed unionization and Wal-Mart closure was an unfair labor practice. In short, although Wal-Mart managers and owners may try to characterize these practices as amoral, but they have been widely publicized and hence, known to managers. Thus, it would be difficult to claim that managers are ignorant of the ethical implications. I would argue that Wal-Mart’s employment practices are clearly…show more content…
Every level of management and non-management employees must fully understand the ethical implications of their decisions as it relates to their personal and professional values. Corporations need to implement a Business Code of Ethics and review with all employees. Also, an excellent tool for learning is case studies and role-playing. The key in this learning is to make the Code accessible and position it as a helpful tool for all employees. It is also recommended that all business managers display the Code on their desks in a healthy manner. Real world learning and the negative end results of unethical behaviour or actions should be showcased to support this
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