V. Human Resource Practices
The benefits used as motivation for Walgreens’ part time employees include categories in health care, retirement planning, and balance between work and life. Under the health care category, employees benefit from several programs like the Well Informed Wellness Program, which is a quarterly prize raffle for those who take part in their online health test, and Flex Pay, which allows for some medical expenses to be purchased with a before-tax amount. Military Leave and Personal Leave grant special benefits given out by the discretion of the store manager. Under retirement planning, employees can participate in Walgreens’ profit sharing program. The Walgreens Profit-Sharing Retirement Plan aids its team members to set…show more content… These include Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage, Prescription coverage, health coverage for same-sex domestic partners, Company-paid Life Insurance, Voluntary Accident Insurance, access to purchase Group Term Life and Group Universal Life plans and Paid Disability Leave. Full time employees are given the same retirement planning programs as part time employees. They are eligible for six paid six days after six months of service, and six paid holidays including New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. Employees of the corporate offices are given On-site Healthy Living Centers, On-site Childcares, On-site Stores, and shuttle services. (Benefits at Walgreens,…show more content… One of the benefits to this arrangement is the higher placement a person has, the more authority and power he possesses in the company. This also provides employees with a clear path to climb up the ladder of success and obtain a higher income and more authority. Another strength to this model of structure is that is possesses a clear line of communication between manager and employee. “Employees receive their policy directions and day-to-day assignments form their direct manager, who interprets orders from the top, and employees send information about their work as well as their ideas up the hierarchical structure, reporting first o their direct manager.” (Bianca, 2014) However, one disadvantage to this makeup is that it does not encourage collaboration across the pyramid. People tend to stay in their own level of authority and develop cliques, which in turn can lead to a competition for power. Another disadvantage pointed out by Audra Bianca is the lack of flexibility given to employees at the lower level. They are the ones that deal with suppliers and customers personally, so they have first-hand knowledge of what should and should not be incorporated in the company. This hierarchical structure does not give these employees the flexibility and freedom to discuss ideas based on their experience of the public