Walmart Coaching Policy [All You Need to Know]

When it comes to working at Walmart, you should understand the coaching policy so that you don’t end up in trouble or, worse, fired! 

So, let’s find out everything you need to know about Walmart’s coaching policy. 

Walmart Coaching Policy

Walmart’s coaching policy is used to warn and penalize employees who break the rules or perform poorly while working at Walmart. Usually, the first coaching is a warning. Then, you can be given a yellow, orange, or red coaching, which is documented and added to your file. 


KEY TAKEAWAYS

  • Your first coaching from Walmart should be a verbal warning. 
  • If the transgression is bad enough, you may be terminated without being coached. 
  • Most employees can get 3 coachings before being terminated. 

In this article, we will discuss Walmart’s coaching policy. Including the colors, whether or not you have to sign a coaching, and how to fight it if you feel you received one unjustly. 

So read on! 

How Many Coachings Do You Get at Walmart?

It’s important to understand that when it comes to coachings at Walmart, every situation is slightly different. 

Most employees will first receive a verbal coaching as a warning, then a documented coaching with a corresponding color, and finally, a third coaching that leads to termination. However, this is not always the case. 

An employee can be fired without any previous coachings if their error was grave enough. I.e., stealing from Walmart, swearing at a customer, getting a coaching for attendance, or getting into an excessive fight with a co-worker. 

Because coaching is supposed to be for improvement,  you can technically get 3 coachings at Walmart before being let go. However, you should be aware that Walmart reserves the right to fire any employee at any time. Even without any previous coaching!

Walmart Coaching Policy Colors

Now, let’s talk about Walmart’s coaching policy colors. You may receive a yellow, orange, or red warning when you get disciplinary coaching at Walmart. 

  • Yellow: Minor or first-time offenses. 
  • Orange: Escalated issues (repeating the same transgression more than once.)
  • Red: Big problems such as a disregard for company policy or ethics (could also be a repeated yellow or orange offense.)

Once again, while you may see your coaching slowly climb from yellow coaching to red coaching, if you break Walmart’s rules and regulations or ethical policies, you may receive a red coaching without any previous warning. 

Do You Have to Sign a Coaching at Walmart?

When you get a documented coaching at Walmart, coaching rules state that your manager must ask you to sign it to acknowledge that it occurred. 

This write-up policy is implemented to ensure employees understand why they’re being coached. However, many employees wonder if they have to sign the document if they believe they are victims of unfair coaching. 

At the end of the day, you do have to sign a coaching at Walmart. You could even receive a second coaching for not signing the first one! 

But don’t worry; even though you sign the coaching, you can still fight it afterward. 

How to Fight a Coaching at Walmart

Finally, if you think you experienced unfair coaching at Walmart, you need to know how to fight it! 

Here’s what you need to do:

  • If you received unjust coaching from your direct superior or manager, you cannot contact them to fight the coaching. 
  • Therefore, you should set up a meeting with your HR or personnel representative. 
  • Ensure you have all the information about why you got coached, and what actually happened. 
  • If you can, find a co-worker who witnessed the interaction to give evidence to your case. 
  • If the HR manager in your Walmart does not support your claim, you can contact Walmart’s corporate HR department. 

It’s important to note that while it is possible to get a coaching taken off your record, you need to prove that the transgression didn’t occur in order to do so. 

Conclusion

Walmart’s coaching policy states that employees will first be given a verbal warning, then documented coaching in various degrees of severity. 

However, you can get fired from Walmart without any coaching if the problem was extreme. 

You may receive a yellow, orange, or red coaching on your file. With yellow being the first warning or for minor offenses and red being the final warning or for a major issue.

If you want to fight the coaching you received at Walmart, you should contact a manager or HR representative to explain and plead your case.