People With Disabilities May Lose Jobs As Walmart Nixes Greeters
Walmart plans to eliminate their signature greeters and bring on "hosts" and it could lead to hundreds of disabled workers being out of a job.
"Watch for falling prices" may be switched to "watch for lawsuits" because this situation is as real as ever. In fact, it was an Illinois man with a rare developmental disorder whose story made headlines. According to Fortune, Nathan Joerndt learned Walmart will change “store greeters” policy in favor of "hosts".
While the new position will include higher pay, it seems that the change will disproportionately affect people with physical disabilities.
Nathan Joerndt has Williams Syndrom and has been a greeter at Walmart for 18 years. He's worried this change will cost him his job because of his inabilities related to "host" tasks. Fortune.com shared this quote from NPR.
More than 1,000 store locations are replacing their greeters with an expanded “customer host” position, which will require employees to lift “25 pounds, clean up spills, collect carts and stand for long periods of time,” among other tasks.
Though the policy change is scheduled to go into effect at the end of April, Walmart says they'll give current greeters an opportunity to find a position fitting for their abilities.
As we strive to improve the experience for our customers we will need to adjust roles from time to time. We recognize that our associates with disabilities with physical limitations face a unique situation. We will be extending the current 60 day transition period for associates with disabilities while we explore accommodations within each store.
What happens if there isn't a fitting position? Will those employees lose their job? If so, get ready for lawsuits on top of lawsuits, not to mention a large number of complaints to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Are you a current Walmart Greeter? We'd love to hear from you on this topic. Click here to contact me.
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