Do you work at Walmart and want to know if the company can force you to work overtime?
Or maybe your manager keeps asking you to work past your scheduled shift end.
You are certainly not alone, and we have the answers to your questions right here!
Can Walmart Force You to Work Overtime?
Walmart can legally force you to work overtime. You may be coached or even terminated if you refuse your scheduled shifts at Walmart (even if you’re working overtime.) Luckily, Walmart almost never forces its employees to work overtime as it doesn’t want to pay time and a half!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- According to federal law, Walmart can force you to work overtime.
- If you don’t work your scheduled shifts at Walmart, they might fire you!
- Your manager can ask you to work past your scheduled shift.
Now, if you want to understand what you should do if your Walmart manager asks you to work past your shift and even why they do so, read on!
Everything you need to know is right here.
Why Are Walmart Managers Asking You to Work Past Your Shift?
The very first thing you need to know about working past your shift is why it is actually happening.
And there are essentially 3 reasons why Walmart managers ask you to work past your shift:
- You did not work efficiently or productively and, therefore, need more time to finish the assigned project.
- Your Walmart manager did not schedule enough people to get the job done on time.
- There were extenuating circumstances, and a project took longer than normal to complete.
While you should absolutely ask your manager why they are asking you to stay late, no matter what their answer is, you need to know what you should do in response.
What Should You Do If Walmart Asks You to Work Past Your Shift?
So, your Walmart manager asked you to work longer than your scheduled shift. You might be wondering if this is allowed. And even what you should do if you don’t want to work the extra hours.
The first thing to understand is that Walmart, or any company, cannot force you to do anything. You always have the free will to walk out the door when your shift ends.
That being said, Walmart reserves the right to terminate employees for essentially any reason. All hourly staff are technically at-will employees without contracts.
That means that if your manager asks you to stay past your shift for any reason and you refuse, you likely will be warned, coached, and maybe even fired for poor performance.
If your Walmart manager asks you to work past your shift when you don’t want to, you should communicate clearly with them about why you don’t want to or cannot stay late.
Also, you should always ask why they are asking you to stay late. If it is due to your work ethic or lack of productivity, it will be harder to file a complaint than if they made a scheduling error.
How Do You File a Complaint Over a Walmart Manager Forcing You to Work Overtime?
Finally, if your Walmart manager is forcing you to work overtime or past your shift consistently, you might want to file a complaint against them.
To file a complaint over a Walmart manager forcing you to work overtime, you need to contact Walmart’s HR department or the Global Ethics office.
Your store and manager have an assigned HR representative. And you can inquire about their email or phone number at the customer service desk.
Or, you can call Walmart’s Global Ethics Office directly at 1-800-WMETHIC (1-800-963-8442.)
When contacting either Walmart representative, it’s vital that you have the exact dates, times, and reasons why your manager made you work overtime.
Conclusion
Walmart can force you to work overtime if you want to keep your job.
The company reserves the right to terminate any hourly employee if they do not meet the needs of the store. Therefore, you could be warned or even fired for refusing to work your scheduled shifts.
Walmart does not usually force employees to work overtime as it does not want to pay time and a half. But it is quite common practice for managers to ask staff to stay past their shift and then take hours away from them further on in the week.
If this happens to you and you want to file a complaint, you can do so through Walmart’s HR department or the Global Ethics Office.